Christmas trees – how long have you been growing and selling them, and how did it all start?
It is all thanks to our brother, Jake, who had a brainwave to take some trees our dad was clear felling, and sell them outside his laundry business 123 Cleaners. He duly loaded up a horsebox of trees and got his schoolboy brothers (Josh 15 at the time, and me,13) to sell them. We thought this is great pocket money, so we carried on doing it throughout school and university days, and grew the business very organically. We initially planted 1000 trees, and today we plant 60,000 a year.
You live in Ealing now, have you always lived in west London?
Since I was four years old I’ve always lived in west London off and on – Notting Hill, South Kensington, Maida Vale and now Ealing. Our parents separated when I was four, and the silver lining was having two homes with vastly different experiences – Dad in Scotland on the farm, Mum in west London.
Do you have a favourite west London hangout?
I love green spaces and going to parks with my three year old to relax and unwind, going to Richmond Park to spot the deer is always fun!
Where are your trees grown? Have you had to expand or move the plantations?
When we were younger we “borrowed” some land from our father to plant some trees, as the business has developed we have commercially leased land in Perthshire and Aberdeenshire. The growing conditions in the region are excellent for Christmas trees, because the shorter summer and colder weather ensures the trees do not stretch up, but rather grow slowly to become full and bushy.
Do Christmas trees fill your whole year, or do you take time off for the summer?
The job is rather like putting on a mini Olympics – everything has to be in place at exactly the right time, and there is loads of work year round to ensure that happens. We are a skeleton team through the majority of the year and then expand to over 300 people for the busy season. Thankfully we do get time off though – February is great time to recover from the rush!
You’re the grandson of sugar magnates Tate & Lyle. Was sugar a big part of your childhood?
Our dad worked for Tate & Lyle in his younger days, so we would hear stories about it. But our family have not been shareholders in Tate & Lyle for many years, so, other than eating too many sweets, sugar has not played a significant role in our lives.
Do you have a favourite west London watering hole?
I’m not a drinker, but I love going to places with live music – I go to The Elgin on Ladbroke Grove near our Christmas tree store.
Who buys trees from Pines and Needles?
We are lucky to have a pretty fabulous client list, of businesses as well as celebrities. We’ve installed trees at the BBC, Downing Street and Wembley Stadium, while also supplying people like One Direction and David Tennant. Even Madonna is rumoured to have bought from us.
How are your trees better than other trees?
It’s down to two main things – the cultivation methods and the final selection process. We are very particular in our growing process; each tree is pruned throughout the year to ensure it is full and bushy at harvest time. We also only select trees that pass our strict quality check – our guarantee is that our trees are the best available anywhere!
Did you always want to run a business? Was there a plan B?
Yes I’ve always wanted to run a business, it’s a huge challenge, and a great privilege, and we are very fortunately to have a really wonderful team of people here at Pines and Needles. Eventually I’d love to do more charity work, particularly supporting education of children and young people in less economically developed countries.
Do you enjoy Christmas, or is it stressful being the busiest time of your year?
I love Christmas, I love seeing the enthusiasm of children when they receive their tree. I love it when the first lorry loads arrive from the plantations – it’s like the curtains opening at a theatre production!
Do you ever see yourself doing anything else or is it trees until the day you die?
We are keen to branch out, excuse the pun, and will be launching a floristry and garden range in 2016. But trees are such a fun, feel-good product, they will always be part of the story.
