The story starts in 1953 when a 19 year old Ron Bennett decided to spread his wings and start his own journey in the world of fruit and veg, opening a shop alongside his wife, Dorothy, in their local residency of Hornsey Rise, North London.

Ron was no stranger to the industry having worked on the fruit and veg markets of soho since he was 14. Short journeys from Covent Garden with the aid of Horse and Cart, loaded up with produce was usual practice so when it came to their own venture, Ron and Dorothy were able to hit the ground running.

Assembling a small team of locals, by 1956 the shop became the heart of Hornsey with queues regularly spilling out to the streets of a Saturday morning.

By 1962 Ron and Dorothy had started a family. And with the arrival of Julie and David came the inevitable stepping back of Dorothy.

In 1964 Ron acquired market stalls in Aylesbury and Cirencester. Equidistant from Oxford but still based in Hornsey Rise, this was unknowingly the foundations for things to come. It’s important to remember this was a time way before Supermarkets diversified into fresh produce, meat and dairy. Rons stalls were 20 people strong, made up of shop assistants from the Hornsey Shop and residents of both Aylesbury and Cirencester.

How does a man with a high street shop in North London come about taking over stalls in Aylesbury and Cirencester? It’s a small world, being a Greengrocer is anyway. If you were a Trader in the south of England the chances are you’d be buying out of Spitalfields and Covent Garden whilst everyone slept. Word gets around and once the opportunity was put to Ron, he deemed it too good to turn down.

Fast forward to 1970 and whilst only 32, Rons character was popular amongst the traders of Covent Garden and Spitalfields. Loading his 7 Tonne lorry with pallets of produce each morning before disbursing it to the locations he had worked so hard to build.

It wasn’t until 1976 when David made his debut on the firm aged 14. A baptism of fire being an understatement on this occasion. David spent the summer holidays up at 1am, buying in the wholesale markets with Ron. Unconsciously absorbing the surrounds that would pave his future.  

After leaving school and qualifying as a mechanic, David would frequently help his Mum and Dad who had by this time acquired two more stalls (4 in total) whilst simultaneously running the shop in North London. It was a by now a real family affair. Dorothy would run the shop at the weekend whilst Ron would bounce between their new stalls in Buckingham and Brackley.

1981 aged 19, David met his soon-to-be wife, Angela. The pair moved into the family home in Hornsey and whilst Angela worked as a Clerk in Kentish Town, David decided to make the full time switch the family business and began working alongside Ron.

Scattered north of London, the working week became a real slog. Hundreds of miles and tens of hours spent on the roads, something had to give.

In 1984, whilst chatting to a fellow market trader in Spitalfields Market, Ron heard of a business opportunity in Banbury and Abingdon, then famous tows for its bustling market. Ron and Dorothy decided it was best to finally leave the city they knew so well behind. They decided to sell up and pass over the shop in Hornsey to an eager recipient.

Adderbury – 3 miles south of Banbury was Ron and Dorothys new love. In their early 50’s by now this was a world apart from what they were used to. David and Angela followed suit and with the imminent arrival of their first child, Ami. They decided that the neighbouring town of Banbury is where they’d reside.

By 1988 Banbury and Abingdon were bustling. Thousands would descend each week and whilst the team started setting up the stalls as early as 1.30 in the morning, punters would be out and about from as early as 5, desperate to beat the inevitable queues after sunrise.

Ron was a genius of his trade. So meticulous in his displays, taking hours to achieve precise formations of produce each morning. It worked; the stalls became famed for its displays. A time way before social media, the market would regularly feature in newspapers and magazines.

With five different markets running simultaneously, all whilst travelling back and forth to buy in London (before the m40 was built) it was time to part with the people of Cirencester and Aylesbury.  

It was in 1992 just after the arrival of David and Angelas second child, Tom, when Ron became ill. Battling Cancer, Ron would regularly be seen working the markets when he deemed, he was fit enough to do so. There was no telling him.

The family were hit hard and suddenly work faded into insignificance when Ron passed in 1996 aged just 62.

Loved and respected by everyone he met, Rons loss would have an impact on his family, friends and colleagues like no other.

Hard to recount, perhaps work was a welcome distraction for the family in the early days. David naturally took the reins and with a strong team around him continued to deliver the same level of excellence set by Ron.

By 1998 David had started diversifying into the Wholesale trade, picking up huge orders from local shops and restaurants through their reputation gained on the markets. David purchased vans and employed delivery drivers and decided that Wholesale was the natural progression of the business.

By 2000 the wholesale side of the business had taken off, supplying restaurant chains across the midlands (some of which we still supply now). It was with a heavy heart that at this point the family decided to sell up their famed Banbury pitch to concentrate on the Wholesale and Abingdon Market.

David emulated his dads’ work principles and graft down to a tee. Never falling short of supplying the finest produce available with excellent, one to one, trustworthy customer service which is the sole reason the business continues to flourish over 70 years on from when Ron and Dorothy took on their first venture in Hornsey Rise.

In 2004 the opportunity arose for David to base the business at Carpenters Farm in Warmington. This decision would consequently lead to David and his team taking over the farm shop. David built the shop from the ground upwards, soring numbers through the carpark and not one, but two extensions of the building enabled the shop to offer high quality meats, fish and dairy as well as of course, a huge area dedicated to fine fresh fruit and veg.

It was in 2011 when the unexpecting passing of Dorothy once again put work into perspective for the family. Regularly working 2am to 5pm, David passed the Farm Shop he’d dedicated so much time in building back to the Farmer who encouraged him to take it on in the first place.

The Farm Shop continued to be the base for the wholesale business until recently in august 2023. David of course continued to supply Carpenters Farm Shop on a wholesale level and always remains on hand as a consultant when needed. The farm shop remains as popular as ever!

2018 saw the official full-time arrival of Davids son Tom. Tom, like his dad had worked for the family business on and off since the age of 12. Even having a stint on Banbury market aged just 6 helping family friend Mathew with his biscuit stall. Although, less work and more childminding whilst Angela got the weekly shop in. Jokes aside, Tom has been heavily involved in the business from a young age. After graduating University, he decided to move to London and spent 6 years in the food sector before deciding at the age of 26 to move back and join the family business full time.

Despite having a long way to go before he emulates his Parents and Grandparents hard work, Tom has been instrumental in the technological improvements of the business building a bespoke internal software system from scratch as well as overseeing the transition to Fresho – a platform that allows customers to order their products online (even the ones that used to come up the market 30 years ago!)

2023 has seen the biggest change in the business for a long while at least, upsizing to a brand-new warehouse in Banbury, introducing a new ordering platform, introducing a much wider product offering than ever before but all whilst maintaining the exact same principles set in 1953.