Meet the Team

Calixta, Founder

Calixta crossed the Atlantic in search of a comprehensive education in organic farming in the United States. In 2017 she returned to the UK to set up Flourish with Bill and Ben, and a polytunnel recovered from a closed-down strawberry farm.

Bill, co-founder

Bill’s strength and power are undeniable despite his rather rotund belly. Bill enjoys rubbing on gate posts, gobbling up second grade carrots and snoozing in the sunshine.

Ben, co-founder

Ben's long blonde mane would give Brigitte Bardot a run for her money, however, he turned down many  modelling opportunities in favour of a meaningful career on the farm. Now retired, he spends his days flirting with his Donkey neighbours in the water meadows.  

Alice, Office Manager

After a 10 year career in advertising Alice spent 12 weeks at Ballymaloe cookery school in Ireland. From there the seeds were sown and she’s worked in food ever since.

Photo credit: Monica R Goya 

Lisa, Farm Shop Manager

Local to the area, Lisa's eye was often drawn to the flower field when passing on family bike rides. Her great passion for food resulted in her leaving a career in sales to pursue her interest in local produce. Her time at the farm has evolved and she now looks after all aspects of the farm shop.

Anna, Grower and Flower Team

Anna’s background is in horticulture but she came to Flourish to learn about growing food using regenerative practices. She can’t seem to keep away from her love of flowers so is often found working in the flower field. Bringing the beauty of flowers and food together is what makes her happy.

Linda, Propagation and Herbs

After working in urban growing in London for 6 years, Linda came to Flourish to learn about growing on a bigger scale. Herbs and garnishes are her thing and she’s got big plans for our herb field.

Pippin

Pippin is Linda’s dog. He loves living on the farm and especially likes to inspect the compost heap for tasty treats. His absolute favourite snack is cucumbers.

Nancy, Grower and Pack Barn

After years working as a pastry chef, Nancy decided she wanted to connect more with where our food all begins -out in the fields. She spent some time in Norway learning about sustainable farming and looking after a variety of livestock and vegetables. Now she can be found in the flourish fields with her hands happily in the soil.

Cameron, Grower

Cam is a Cambridge local who is passionate about the need for food sovereignty. By growing here with us at Flourish he’s keen to learn more about growing agroecologically on a larger scale.

Heron, Grower

Heron’s passion is machinery, plants and soil so farming is the perfect place for them. As well as managing their own small CSA on a local Fenland farm, they enjoy farming vegetables and grain here at Flourish: “I believe our farmland can provide healthy and nutritious food, increased biodiversity above and below ground as well as fufilling and challenging jobs for people.” Next season Heron is looking forward to further improving our weeding setup and driving our combine with fewer breakdowns!

Rowan

Rowan is Heron's dog and enjoys running through long grass, sniffing for mice in the polytunnels and catching bunnies, as well as sneaking to the Farm Shop for treats. Pointiest nose on the farm.

Alice, Pack Barn, Grower & Farm Planning

Passionate about food sustainability, Alice was really keen to join the Flourish team. With an eye for detail and a love for beautiful vegetables, she’s usually in the pack barn, probably raving about the gorgeousness of our various kales while making sure our produce is all snug on its way to the local restaurants.

Michael, Grower

Michael worked as a chef in the North Hertfordshire area for 11 years. During the Covid lockdown he got an allotment and started to get more interested in where the food he was using on a day-to-day basis came from. His journey to find out more about the health of the food, soil and planet started and he discovered Flourish. Leaving kitchens behind to become a full-time grower, Michael’s been learning lots of new skills and knowledge that he’s looking forward to put to use in seasons to come.

Andy, Deliveries

With a background in furniture and upholstery, Andy holds the all-important role of delivering our produce to London outlets.