A North West England Field Trip with Better Food Traders

Better Food Traders are bringing together members to connect, learn, and explore how alternative food retailers and wholesalers can help us build a more resilient, community-led food system.

Together, we'll visit Squash Liverpool, an award-winning urban shop and café, and Kindling Farm, a pioneering 77-acre farm, where you’ll see firsthand how independent, sustainable and ethical food businesses are scaling up without losing their roots.

Morning: Urban Impact in Toxteth

• 10:00 AM | Squash (L8): We will visit Squash, an award-winning community-led shop, cafe and garden. We’ll explore their unique business model and "enterprise stacking" - seeing how community urban growing integrates with retail and hospitality.

Afternoon: Scaling Up at Kindling Farm

• 12:00 PM | Transfer & Field Lunch: A 20-minute hop east takes us to Kindling Farm (L35). We’ll enjoy a communal "field lunch" featuring food from Squash.
• 01:00 PM | Guided Farm Tour: Led by the Kindling team, we’ll explore the vision for this 77-acre site, discussing their transition into a multi-layer organic system.

The Training: The "Community Wealth" Toolkit

• 02:30 PM – 04:30 PM | Interactive Session: How do you fund high-cost infrastructure—like land, electric vans, or walk-in fridges—without traditional bank debt? Kindling Farm famously raised over £1M through community shares. This "how-to" session will provide actionable insights into using community support to fuel your business’s growth.

Connect: Build meaningful relationships with fellow food traders and others in the BFT Network in the North of England.

Learn: Improve your knowledge around community share modeling and urban retail.

Grow: See the blueprints for the future of Northwest agriculture and food retail.

Location: Starting at Squash (Toxteth, L8) and finishing at Kindling Farm (Tarbock Green, L35) with transport between the sites provided for those not driving or car sharing.

Transport: We encourage car sharing to keep our carbon footprint low. You can indicate on the checkout form if you can offer a lift or if you need one and we will arrange transport for people without access to cars if there isn’t enough space. If you’d like to attend for just the first half of the day Squash is close to public transport links and major roads in and around Liverpool. The farm is conveniently located near the M62 and local rail links for your journey home. There is free parking by Squash and on site at Kindling farm.

Accessibility: We want to ensure everyone feels welcome and comfortable. Here is what you can expect from our host venues:

• Squash: The shop, cafe and community garden are fully wheelchair accessible with level flooring throughout. As a popular community hub, Squash will be open to the public during our visit meaning the space could be crowded and noisy.
• Kindling: The afternoon session takes place on a working farm. The tour involves walking on uneven, unpaved ground which may be muddy or soft depending on the weather. While we will aim to work with Kindling to make the route as accessible as possible, it may be challenging for some manual wheelchairs or those with limited mobility.
• If you have specific access requirements, such as BSL interpretation, a need for a quiet break-out space, or mobility assistance - please contact [email protected]. We are committed to making adjustments where possible to allow full participation.

What to bring: Please wear sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate clothing for the farm tour!

Travel Bursaries: We want this event to be as accessible as possible. We have a limited number of small travel bursaries for those who would otherwise be unable to attend. Please email [email protected] to enquire.

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Host or Publisher Better Food Traders