growers | shrub
a trip to the country with one of our inspiring vegetable suppliers.
the adage that suggests if you want things to be done right you should do it yourself is perhaps said in mock exasperation by parents the world over, but in the case of harry and sam at shrub, it proved the foundation for what is today one of the most inspiring start-ups in the uk.
the pair first met at a previous job and quickly realised they shared a similar outlook and purpose around restructuring existing food supply chains. the duo left and founded shrub in 2020, which had aspirations to be a collective of small-scale farmers whose produce was delivered directly into the hands of chefs.
they began with around 13 farms, running the entire operation between the two of them: driving to the farmers throughout the day to collect their goods, and distributing them to restaurants overnight. the sweat and toil paid off. today, shrub is a network of over 50 small farms, with around 200 restaurants customers. and thankfully for their sleep requirements, it is no longer just harry and sam running the show.
the beauty of shrub is the birds-eye view the team can offer their producers. they have oversight on who is growing what and can therefore coordinate stock, ensuring that none goes to waste. farmers can continue to plant and grow the plants that make sense for them and in the process, biodiversity on uk soils can flourish, and monoculture crops are avoided.
when we meet the shrub team, it is during a visit to just one of their farmers based at the borde hill estate market garden. head gardener, deedee, explains that shrub’s network of chefs means that fewer things she grows go to waste. 2024, for example, was a particularly wet one resulting in a late bloom for most of her summer vegetables. “shrub took all of my green tomatoes,” she says. “that’s never happened before.” that’s because chefs, more than home cooks, are better equipped to manage less commercially promoted items.
excitingly, shrub has just expanded to their first producer outside of the uk: the incredible todoli citrus foundation based near valencia, spain. founded by vicente todolí, former director of the tate modern for seven years, it is sanctuary of over 500 varieties of citrus grown and nurtured on an 11 acre plot in the south of spain. their aim is to protect and promote all manner of citrus plants - many of which would otherwise be lost altogether were it not for the care and research provided by the foundation. in the winter sunshine of borde hill farm, we sample a range of sharp, bright fruits, many of which we have never heard of let alone seen. it is a rich and exciting world of flavour. and now within fingers reach of uk chef’s, thanks to shrub.