Archie's Produce
Archie’s Produce
The 2020 lockdown changed most people’s lives in one way or another but one seven-year-old went from home-schooled little boy to pint-sized entrepreneur over the course of a few months.
For Archie, it began as part of a home-schooling project. His step-mum bought a few chickens home with the aim of teaching Archie about animal welfare and husbandry, as well as where food comes from. He threw himself into looking after them and was soon collecting far more eggs than the family could eat. It was then, that his entrepreneurial journey began.
Archie did the maths and decided to sell the eggs locally. With the country in lockdown, eggs were difficult to come by, and very soon Archie had a waiting list of 30 people wanting his eggs. He persuaded Amy to buy a further six more chickens and still, he struggled to keep up with demand. Before long, customers had started asking if he sold other local produce too!
Rather than sticking just to eggs, Archie was inspired to expand his venture and look around for more local produce to sell. Together he and his dad, Mark, along with Amy, sourced a variety of local products, starting with Alderholt Flour - straight from the local historic Mill. They saw the importance or sourcing local and began forming relationships in and around Dorset and Hampshire.
“It was Archie who suggested we try to find other families who keep chickens,” says Amy. “What’s been wonderful about sourcing the local produce is meeting new people, and how enthusiastic and helpful they have been about helping us to educate Archie about how they grow, produce, and make the food. ”
Archie’s Produce was born and such is its success, that the little farmer is struggling to keep up with the demand. Let’s meet Archie…
Hey Archie, can you tell me a little about your day, now that you're in charge of several chickens and egg collecting duties? Are you waking up very early?
I am lucky the girls wait for me to wake up at 7 am, sometimes 7.30. If I don't get them up in time, then they squawk outside my window.
What did you think when you first saw a chicken in the garden?
I was surprised to see a chicken running around!
Do all of your chickens have names?
No, they all look the same. I used to get confused at first, so now I just call them all 'girls'.
Do the chickens all get along or do they sometimes tease and chase each other? Is there a bully chicken in the group?
One of the girls is the leader. She is fatter than the others because she eats the food first.
Has keeping chickens helped educate you? For the example, understanding the difference between free-range and battery hens, and with maths - adding and subtracting eggs?
Yes, my hens are free-range. Battery hens are sad and have no feathers. I like my hens to have the best life. I started doing multiplication with the eggs to work out how many I needed to give to people. The chickens have taught me lots about how to look after animals and where exactly our food comes from.
You’ve become one of the most popular (little) farmers in Hampshire and Dorset, but what is your dream job? Footballer, actor, astronaut? Maybe an “Archie’s Produce” TV show?
(smiles from ear to ear) Thank you! I wanted to be a footballer like Ronaldo, but now I want to a be famous scooter rider.
What’s the best egg recipe?
Even though I sell my girls’ eggs, I don't like to eat eggs myself. Daddy does, and he loves scrambled eggs on toast with a little cream and some sprinkles of spring onions.
Ah, okay. So, chocolate eggs or real eggs?
Chocolate!!!
Archie’s Produce provides delicious, fresh local produce delivered directly to your door, serving Dorset, Hampshire and local surrounds. The produce is sourced from local suppliers and delivered directly to local people. You can also follow Archie’s Produce on Facebook and Instagram