Welcome!

I am Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE, best known as The Black Farmer.

I came to the UK from Jamaica as a small boy, a child of the Windrush generation. Growing up as a dyslexic in a family of 11 in a two-up, two-down in inner-city Birmingham, I found solace growing fruit and vegetables on my father’s allotment. There began my life’s dream to have a farm of my own.

My chances were slim. I could barely read or write and had a bit of an attitude. Leaving school with no qualifications and little hope of finding meaningful employment, things looked bleak. But then my life was turned around – simply because I was given a break.

Fast forward to when, at the age of 40, I managed to buy a small farm on the Devon/Cornwall border. There, The Black Farmer brand was born..

I believe everyone, regardless of their ethnicity or background, should have the opportunity to achieve their full potential and have access to rural Britain. With The Black Farmer brand – and now my farm shop in Brixton – I want to bridge the divide. Bringing the rural farm shop experience to urban areas, I am proud to give opportunities to local and artisan producers and to create a space where the entire community can come and meet, enjoy and be inspired.