A farm in Ayrshire which had its fields ploughed by poet Robert Burns in bygone days is launching a crowdfunding campaign to raise £300,000 to build a “state-of-the-art, zero-waste” dairy facility.
The crowdfunding campaign by Mossgiel Farm in Mauchline is described as a key component of a broader £900,000 investment drive by owner Bryce Cunningham, involving private investors and financial institutions.
Mossgiel Farm said: “Having already achieved planning permission, the investment will allow Mossgiel Farm in Mauchline, where Robert Burns ploughed the fields and wrote many of his most famous verses, to double its production capacity - making organic, ethical and sustainable milk more accessible to more people.”
Mr Cunningham said: “The appetite is there - our success shows that. Our products are in high demand, but our capacity is limited. We want to meet the moment and give people the ethical, organic milk they are crying out for.
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“Mossgiel Farm is crowdfunding because our farm is for the people, and we want to get more people to join our herd.”
Ross Paton, who chairs Scottish Organic Milk Producers, has praised Mossgiel’s “dynamic leadership in the organic sector”.
He said: “We would encourage anyone with an interest in the organic sector - not just dairy - to support Bryce Cunningham and Mossgiel in their efforts to consolidate and expand their operations. We are particularly pleased to be associated with Mossgiel.”
Mr Cunningham was recently accepted on to the Hunter Foundation’s Scale Up programme, established by Scottish businessman Sir Tom Hunter and designed to support Scottish entrepreneurs to build world-class, scalable businesses.
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