This Small Business Saturday, we’re celebrating three generations of family business – and the incredible small farms, artisans, and makers whose products we deliver.
From horse-drawn milk deliveries to a thriving network of family-run suppliers, Plumbs’ Dairy has been part of local Cambridgeshire life for three generations. Founded in 1952 by Henry Plumb, his son Bernard took the reins in 1973 at just 27, quickly growing the business from three modest milk rounds into a thriving enterprise serving key village communities across Cambridgeshire. Today, Justin and Debbie Plumb continue to carry the family legacy into its third generation.
A recently unearthed Plumbs’ family photo from the early 1950s:
Peter Plumb, uncle of current owner Justin, standing beside Prince, the loyal, hard-working pony who helped deliver milk to villages across Cambridgeshire. A lovely reminder of how our small family-run business started.
From Horse-Drawn Carts to Electric Fleets
Plumbs’ still delivers around 45,000 returnable glass bottles every week, keeping a sustainable tradition alive while serving many of the same families Peter and Prince did decades ago. But we’ve also embraced the future: 11 electric vehicles (with four more on the way) now help bring fresh milk, eggs, local meat, honey, cakes, bird food, logs, and even Christmas trees to our community. Solar panels are set to power our fleet in early 2026, making our deliveries even greener.
What makes Plumbs Dairy special isn’t just our own family – it’s the network of like-minded local, family-run suppliers we proudly partner with
Take Yare Valley Oils, for example: The Mack family has been farming in the Yare Valley for well over a century. The current generation diversified in 2010 to produce cold-pressed rapeseed oil, making around 40,000 litres a year with their small team. There’s Boswell and Son, our talented local Cambridgeshire bakers creating everything from classic iced buns to artisan loaves, and Broadland Hams, a family-run firm producing top-quality hams and bacon in the small farming village of Little Melton for over 45 years. Bramble Foods also started as a small family business and has grown into a trusted local producer, supplying delicious treats to our deliveries.
Family Business Spotlight:
Stour Valley Apiaries
Stour Valley Apiaries is a family-run business in Lavenham, Suffolk, operated by Kevin and Julie Thorn. Kevin manages 50 hives to produce pure honey while ensuring all beneficial elements are retained.
They also offer beeswax products through Busy Bees Cosmetics. Committed to bee conservation, Kevin leads a Bee Improvement Group at Abberton Reservoir, which is helping to reintroduce the native black bee to the area. We are proud to support their work and bring their honey and beeswax products to you.
From Field to Fork
At Plumbs’ Dairy, we’re always looking for ways to reduce our impact on the planet to give our next generation a cleaner, more sustainable future – and our suppliers share the same values.
CAMCATTLE, a local family farm in Cambridge, grazes Red Poll cattle on commons, meadows, and nature reserves, feeding only on grass. This natural approach produces rich, flavourful beef while supporting biodiversity and healthy land. (Follow Camcattle on Instagram & Facebook.)
Field Compost Ltd, run by husband-and-wife Chris and Joanna Field, create entirely peat-free compost and soil products. By avoiding peat, they protect wildlife, preserve delicate ecosystems, and encourage healthy soil – keeping nature at the heart of their family business. (Follow Field Compost on Instagram & Facebook.)
From carefully grazed beef to eco-friendly compost, these families are proving that a business can be sustainable in more ways than one: building a long-lasting, family-run enterprise while also protecting the planet for future generations – values that have guided Plumbs’ Dairy for over 70 years.
This Small Business Saturday, shopping with local businesses like ours means more than just buying products – it’s about supporting families, preserving local skills, and keeping traditions alive.
Thank you to all our customers for choosing to support Plumbs’ Dairy, and in doing so, helping sustain the many small, family-run businesses we work with every day.