40p in every £1 stays within 40 miles – Where your money goes when you spend with The Courtyard Dairy.

After seeing a diagram produced by an American farmstead cheese-maker showing how much of their turnover went back into their community I thought we’d do a similar analysis at The Courtyard Dairy.

Using last years accounts I decided to see just how much an impact our business was having in the locality from The Courtyard Dairy’s cheese shop and café.  I always knew in my heart that supporting small local enterprises helps to keep a community vibrant but I was pleasantly surprised at how much went back into the local communities in the north of England from our own turnover.

We worked it out by analysing the bills the business had paid during the last year and working out how much money had been spent locally.  I appreciate that it is often much harder to use local enterprises rather than opting for the convenience of shopping online or big retailers – for example small shops are often not open for as long as larger retailers, are sometimes located in areas where it is difficult to park and are perceived as being more expensive.

And whilst I emphasise to all who work at The Courtyard Dairy the importance of doing things right – offering amazing service, supporting the local community, stocking an amazing range of superb cheese that people will come back for, for example – I wanted to see exactly how much a community might benefit if we all try to use local suppliers and retailers wherever possible.

So analysis of The Courtyard Dairy’s receipts and payments showed that for every £1 spent by customers at the shop and café, almost 40p was re-spent by The Courtyard Dairy in businesses within 40 miles, and a 41p out of every £1 was spent with small enterprises, most of them independent family businesses and farms.

I was delighted to see the results and knowing that last year we invested so much back into the locality and with traditional family farms, made the extra effort it might take all the more worthwhile.  That’s a result for everyone, and a take home message that if we all support the small shops within any area that is money you are investing in your community and keeping it vibrant.