“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Peter Drucker
Meet our farmer steering group…
Tom McVeigh
Farm location: Suffolk
Tom McVeigh is a Nuffield Scholar (2025) who’s international study: ‘Walnuts and hazelnuts as commodity crops for UK farms’ provided the basis for the formation of the British Hazelnut Association.
Tom’s research began broadly: searching for a high value crop with a low labour requirement, that would yield in a changing climate.
He was drawn to hazelnuts because they are native, perennial and non-perishable; meaning: less affected by annual weather patterns along with having longer, more flexible marketing windows.
Through his international research, Tom examined different production systems, processing infrastructure, market structures and the disruptive factors shaping the global hazelnut industry as well as building up a network of suppliers and customers throughout Europe.
He aims to utilise the knowledge he’s gathered to assist UK farmers with optimal production methods and to provide a centralised processing plant necessary to UK production.
Claire Donkin
Farm location: Bedford
Claire Donkin is a specialist agronomist and technical leader with extensive experience in agronomy, crop research and international horticultural development. She has a strong track record of supporting growers, breeders and produce businesses through innovation, technical excellence and the delivery of commercially meaningful projects. In 2024 she took over the family business and established Donkin Farms, converting a small arable unit. Hazelnuts are a foundation crop for the new enterprise which is rooted in combining her experience in high value niche cropping and environmental and financial sustainability for a small business unit.
Claire has held senior technical roles within multinational and speciality fresh produce organisations, working directly with top-tier British and European retailers and helping businesses expand in technical complexity, performance and customer delivery.
With BASIS and FACTS qualifications and a long-standing commitment to applied research, Claire is highly regarded for translating the latest scientific findings into practical guidance for producers across a range of climates and growing systems. She has developed strong international networks in research, funding and commercial horticulture, helping deliver improved outcomes for growers globally.
Dr Alexandra Hyde
Farm Location: Oswestry, Shropshire
Dr Alex is a Great Taste Award winning, food scientist and nutritionist supporting chefs and foodie entrepreneurs to disrupt our unsustainable food systems deliciously. She specialises in sustainable, plant-based protein and fibre-rich foods and delivers the well-evidenced, strategic science insights needed to unlock sustainable & resilient business growth.
Dr Alex facilitates academic/business partnerships both through advising the UK's National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) team on small businesses perspective’ and through partnerships to enable university academics to share their academic expertise with industry implementers. She is a guest senior lecturer at Leeds University.
Marko Madjarac
Farm Location: Croatia
Born in Zagreb and raised between Europe and the US, Marko Madjarac moved to London in 2019. He is now focused on developing and scaling hazelnut production on his family’s farm in Donja Bačuga, one hour southeast of Zagreb, as part of a longer-term commitment to resilient, productive rural landscapes.
Professionally, Marko is a data analyst and researcher, and the founder of Full Spectrum Insights, a consumer research agency. He brings a systems- and data-driven approach to his agricultural work, currently researching varieties, orchard design, and production models suited to changing climatic conditions, while learning alongside growers in the UK and across Europe.
Stephanie James
Company: Frank P Matthews
Stephanie James is Managing Director of Frank P. Matthews, one of the UK's leading tree nurseries and a family business with a heritage dating back to 1901. Representing the fourth generation of the family business, Stephanie is passionate about preserving the nursery's long-standing reputation for quality while helping it grow and evolve for future generations.
Combining a love of horticulture with a practical understanding of the needs of today's gardeners, commercial growers and landowners. She is particularly passionate about fruit growing, British-grown trees and helping customers select the right varieties for everything from home gardens and orchards to large-scale commercial planting and agroforestry schemes.
Laurie Kent
Farm Location: Glastonbury
Laurie Kent of Glastonbury Nut Farm is an engineer and electrician who studied at Harper Adams University. With experience in off-grid power and mechanical systems, he is leading the technical side of the Glastonbury Nut Farm business, specifically working on harvesting and processing their nuts into the best possible products.