Meet The Greenest Milkman In The West

From his organic dairy in West Dorset, Oliver Hemsley wants to change the way we farm one milk vending machine at a time

- Rex Fisher

Question: What does Gabriel Oak (Far from the Madding Crowd), an 18th century Harvard University benefactor and a City magnate The Times once described as a “business big shot” all have in common?

Answer: They’ve all farmed a rather unassuming but beautiful patch of land just outside Beaminster. Now home to Hollis Mead, an organic dairy farm, and where Gabriel Oak’s sheep supposedly met their fateful end. The name, ‘Hollis Mead’, comes from Thomas Hollis – the Harvard benefactor and English philanthropist. And, the current owner is Oliver Hemsley, the business big shot turned dairy farmer and cow enthusiast.

“I’ve always had an interest in wildlife, conservation and rural England,” says Oliver Hemsley, “but I never quite had a canvas upon which to make a difference, until now.” The son of a Rutland pig farmer, Hemsley moved his family to Dorset over 20 years ago. It seems that farming is in his blood as, despite a successful career in finance, he’s returned to it. He is able to approach the industry with a very different perspective, and he’s keen to make a positive impact. “Since World War Two, farmers have been forced to produce more and more for less and less – it’s bonkers!” he says. “The sad fact is that the real loser in all this is the planet.”