The Black Farmer

The Black Farmer

For a life less ordinary.

Our Story

It was a strange time in a foreign land and my only reminder of home was the delicious Jamaican food that my mother lovingly cooked. Now in my mid-60s, I consider myself to be British-Jamaican – after a long and laborious process of becoming naturalised – and I’m proud of who I am and where I come from. Something I celebrate every year on 22nd June: Windrush Day.

My childhood was spent growing up in Birmingham living in complete poverty. As the eldest of nine, it was my job to help my dad on the allotment, where he grew vegetables to supplement food for the family. It was here, away from our crowded two-up, two-down, I first dreamt of owning a farm in the great British countryside – an ambition of mine that became a focus of everything I did.

I’m the first to say I was a troublemaker at school and left with undiagnosed dyslexia and no qualifications. After being dishonourably discharged from a brief stint in the armed forces – I told you, a bit of a rebel – I trained as a chef and started flipping burgers. Still determined, I talked my way into television, eventually becoming a producer of food and drink shows for the BBC. It was here I gave many top chefs their big break on the small screen – Gordon Ramsay, James Martin and Anthony Worrall-Thompson included – before founding my own food and drink marketing company.

Then, several years ago, I almost lost my life to Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Thanks to the incredible work of the doctors and nurses, I miraculously pulled through, although the stem cell transplant needed to stop the cancer returning left me with vitiligo and extremely sensitive skin. Which is why I’ve created Wellbeing Pause: a line of all-natural products made in Britain that encourage you to give yourself time to rest, reflect and rejuvenate. Our health is most definitely our wealth.

Years later, I finally realised my dream of owning a farm in Devon, where my neighbours quickly coined the name ‘The Black Farmer.’ This led to me launching my own brand offering quality British products with unexpected twists across food, drink and lifestyle that I hope my customers love as much as I do.

Welcome to my shopping experience.

Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE
AKA ‘The Black Farmer’

Our Values