Our History
The South West Grain Network was established in 2019 in the wake of the first UK Grain Lab to address the needs of bakers, millers, farmers and other grain users looking to build an alternative grain economy.
Since then, we have gathered in fields, bakeries and mills around the South West. We have milled and tasted countless wheats and other grains, discussed distribution and logistics, and formed new relationships and friendships along the way.
After many years of gathering and growing, in 2025 we made the step to appoint a part time coordinator to help develop our work. This coordinator supports regular events, welcomes and coordinates our membership, and helps us develop our structure as we grow. We are supported by a small team of core members who represent our wider membership and provide key strategic direction for the network.
We operate a fully transparent organisation, with our finances available on our Open Collective website. We are funded by a levy on the South West Flour and other regional mills, along with small grants, donations and event income.
Why the network exists
We exist to support a transition to ways of farming, processing, and consuming grain in the South West of the UK that fosters ecological and social well being.
We do this by improving the viability and sustainability of grain-based businesses in the South West through knowledge transfer, peer support, training, and co-operation to safeguard and promote agroecological and regenerative farming practises, and the livelihoods and communities these support.
Our areas of interest include building soil health, supporting innovative plant breeding and grain diversity, sharing and collaboration; sustainable farming practices; new food production business models and techniques; food security and sovereignty.
Our vision is for shorter, healthier, and more diverse supply chains, where the identity of people and place is celebrated and valued.
The networks actions are governed by these core values that were developed and consented to by the network through a series of participatory workshops.
These are:
Non-commodity & Human Scale – these are two sides of the same coin; at the start of something it is often easier to define yourself by what you are not, rather than consent to something affirmative. For a food system to support an agroecological transition, it must be more deeply connected so that it can communicate values other than price and quantity.
Caring & Collaborative – collaboration, friendships & trust – these are the currency of a human scale food system. It is important that we try and leave behind the competitive instincts, protectionism and addiction to scale & growth that a commodity system brings. The ideas of being caring and collaborative embody this for us.
Accessible – food sovereignty isn’t just about empowering farmers to make their own choices; it also means widening access to and participation in healthy, nutritious food networks
Ethical – this is an attempt to express that businesses within the network take decisions based on values as well as value.
Forward thinking & doing – this is to say the network is a place of both experimentation but also action.
Our values
All photos Rupert Swan