OUR STORY

Castle Farm is a busy, working farm of 1100 acres managed by the Alexander family, located in north Kent only 20 miles from central London. The farm has crops of wheat, barley, rapeseed, hops, apples, lavender and a large herd of beef cattle. At its centre is the farm’s hugely popular Hop Shop with a very unusual product range, and behind the scenes is a busy Mail Order business supplying hops, flowers and lavender products to retail and trade customers.

For centuries, the farm has always grown a traditional Kentish mixture of arable crops, beef cattle, hops for brewing, apples and woodland trees, but in 1986 Castle Farm started being distinctly innovative. We were the first to commercially market dried hop bines for interior decoration and rapidly developed mail order and trade sales throughout the UK. Contact with florists encouraged us to explore the potential for other plants and within a few years we were producing over 50 varieties of flowers for drying, and winning Gold Medals with the Royal Horticultural Society. The Hop Shop name created a business identity that is still featured in many national magazines.

In the mid 1990’s, our farm shop was constructed from the timber framework of an old cattle building in order to properly display all the flowers and baskets. This also gave us the space to start selling more of our own home-produced farm foods – beef, apples, apple juice and honey – as well as sourcing cakes, preserves, jams and chutneys etc from other local artisan producers.

In 1999 the farm decided, as part of a small co-operative of farmers, to establish a lavender enterprise producing pure essential oils with a commercial distillation unit based at Castle Farm and a plan of marketing top quality Kentish oils. The Hop Shop subsequently developed a range of toiletries and unique lavender-flavoured foods (using its special culinary essences) as well as a summer programme of tours and events including a Lavender Festival.

Being so close to London, photogenic and easily accessible, the farm is regularly used as a background location for TV filming.

Mail Order

Our Mail Order service started with hops and dried flowers in the 1980’s and has expanded to include the lavender oils, culinary essences and a select range of high-quality toiletries and acclaimed sleep products. We delight in having a customer base that is wide and diverse – young and old, home-makers and craftspeople, brides and chefs.

Business Links

We work closely with small, local businesses to develop our products, especially in our lavender food and toiletries range. Using the skills and expertise of people who are passionate about their work is not only hugely satisfying but guarantees a top quality product.

Close business links have also developed with product and magazine photographers, aromatherapists and caterers, and we are trade suppliers to the hospitality industry (pubs, wedding venues, hotels and restaurants), event organisers, TV and film-makers, stage-set designers, specialist food shops, florists, gift shops and farm shops.