Fife farmer reaches £800,000 crowdfunding target for Scottish buffalo mozzarella dream

Scotland will soon taste its first-ever buffalo mozzarella after local buffalo farmer Steve Mitchell reached his £800,000 crowdfunding goal.

Published 26th Nov 2019
Updated 8 th Aug 2023

Back in August, Steve, who runs The Buffalo Farm, launched the online fundraising campaign to turn his dream of providing home-produced buffalo mozzarella with sustainability at its heart into a reality.

And now thanks to the generosity and support of others his ambition is a step closer after he successfully raised the £800,000 towards the venture.

The ambitious crowdfunding target will now enable Steve to build his manufacturing facility, milking parlour and slurry store.

Buffalo Farm Crowdfunding

Picture: The Buffalo Farm

By way of celebration, Steve has confirmed that farmer and comedian Jim Smith will be taking centre stage at a Buff in the Barn launch party next summer.

The innovative businessman said: “Producing buffalo mozzarella has been on my list of priorities and dreams for years and I am over the moon that it will now become a reality.

“I am also overwhelmed by the amount of support that we have received.

“Without those businesses and individuals who have contributed within the Founders Club and crowdfund, we would not be able to take the next step in our journey.

“The door is still open and the Crowdfunder rewards in particular would make ideal Christmas presents so we’d love to have you on board.”

In addition to the fulfilment of a dream, the buffalo farmer is committed to making his business as environmentally sustainable as possible.

Through the planting of hedges and trees, providing habitats for wildlife, making use of land that isn’t suitable for the growing of crops and the ways in which he feeds his livestock, Steve is making a positive contribution towards climate change.

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He feeds his animals on a grass diet in summer and, in winter, a dry feed diet.

There is some scientific evidence to suggest that animals fed on a dryer diet produce less methane and so are better for the environment and so, in fact, eating buffalo meat or cheese may well be more sustainable than eating beef or traditional dairy.

The Buffalo Farm is also committed to ensuring that all packaging will be fully recyclable by the end of 2020 and will be installing sustainable energy solutions in the new mozzarella facility.

Steve continued: “Whilst there are many strings to the buffalo bow, never a day goes by when I don’t think about how I can make sure that my business can make the most positive possible contribution to community and sustainability.

“I believe that this has helped to encourage people to support my business.

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“I give my heartfelt thanks to everybody who has contributed to this success.

“Whether you donated yourself, encouraged somebody else to or simply shared our news on social media, you have helped to make this dream become a reality.

“Why not book tickets to the Buff in the Barn 2020 party and enjoy a fabulous evening of comedy from Jim Smith, great food, drink and dancing, all they while supporting our new venture?

“Local provenance is becoming increasingly important to many people for political, environmental and taste reasons and I look forward to producing the very best Scottish mozzarella for my customers to enjoy.”

Despite having hit target, it’s not too late for people to get involved in the Buffalo Farm Founders Club or to support the crowdfund campaign.

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