How lockdown affected an organic mill in Stamfordham
Business model changed as mail orders shot up 700% amid unprecedented demand, company says
London — The Gilchesters Organics flour mill was lucky when a year’s worth of paper sacks arrived in February, a month before the British prime minister, Boris Johnson, locked down the country because of the coronavirus. The response from consumers was immediate: panicked at rationing in supermarkets and bare shelves as the food supply chain struggled in the early weeks of the pandemic, people flocked to independent millers such as Gilchesters in Stamfordham, about 24km northwest of Newcastle upon Tyne.
“Our business model completely changed,” says Billie Wilkinson, 53, who runs the company with her husband, Andrew, 55...
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