Micro goat dairy Ganders Goat in Cottingham hoping to make it a hat-trick of gold awards this year

Could they be striking gold three times this year?
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Ganders Goat, a micro goat dairy in Cottingham on the edge of the Welland valley run by Ian and Lauren Horton, is hoping for a hat-trick of gold awards this year.

Already winning a gold in both Northamptonshire’s SME Business Awards and in the Weetabix Food and Drink Awards for their sustainability efforts, the husband and wife duo are off to Wembley Stadium at the beginning of December for the prestigious 22/23 National Business Awards Ceremony where they hope to be in with a chance of bringing home more silverware - this will be the third time in attendance having previously won silver in 2021.

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Partner in the business Ian said: “I feel 2022 is our year, this is something we have been building towards for a number of years and now everything is in the right place.

Ian, Lauren and son William with the goatsIan, Lauren and son William with the goats
Ian, Lauren and son William with the goats

"Sustainability has always been at the heart of everything we do and produce, with a downturn in business during the pandemic it freed us up sufficiently to focus on our environmental projects and adjust the course of the business to be sustainable long in to the future , winning silver at the nationals in 2021 and the recognition we received winning highly commended Heroes of Net Zero at COP26 just made us push even harder.”

The farm was bought by Ian and Lauren in 2013 and moved to a small dairy unit three years later when Ganders Goat was born.

Focusing on two core products, soap and ice cream, both of which are made with the milk from the farm along with local ingredients it at first glance seems like a strange choice of products.

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But Lauren explains: “Yes they are an odd mix but sit hand in hand to each other to reduce waste, surplus milk from ice cream production can be used for the soap especially at either end of ice cream and milking season.

"The soap is great for dry skin conditions especially and we love using natural by-products like for example waste raspberry seeds from the raspberry ripple icecream can be added to the soap and produce exfoliating bars.”

The farm itself is carbon neutral and has been since the start of business sequestering carbon in to its own soils, just eight acres of paddocks absorb some 250 tons of carbon per year through a less intensive management program that also reduces soil erosion and increases biodiversity.

They also produce 90 per cent of their energy needs themselves through solar and hope to add a wind turbine into the mix shortly.

Lauren said: “The receipt of the awards recognises the good things we are doing, we hope to inspire others to follow our footsteps.”