A Q+A with Steven Brown, regenerative pioneer and founder of 13 Acre Orchard

We spoke with Steven Brown, founder of 13 Acre Orchard, about his journey into regenerative farming, his approach to growing fruit with biodiversity at its heart, and how his collaboration with Patience Distillery reflects a shared belief in seasonality and care for the land.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came into farming and what shaped your philosophy?

I arrived in agriculture from a permaculture background, rather than through traditional agricultural college. I studied permaculture for a while and found it deeply interesting. However, I began to see the limitations - particularly financial ones - which didn’t feel practical for the kind of working system I wanted to build.

So, I shifted my focus from permaculture to regenerative agriculture, which is still a growing and evolving space. My interest, then and now, is in how to live in a way that is beneficial to your surroundings. The goal is to grow fruit - and to manage the orchard - in a way that promotes biodiversity and produces genuinely healthy food.

What does regenerative practice look like day to day at 13 Acre Orchard?

There’s a lot of good work happening in modern agriculture today, despite the criticism it sometimes receives. The question I’m asking is not whether agriculture is good or bad, but how it can be improved.

The route I’m taking is focused on building soil depth and microbiology, increasing plant and insect diversity within the orchard, and growing the highest quality fruit we can.

In practice, this means:

• Adding woodchip and other organic matter into the soil
• Planting more diverse trees, shrubs, and wildflowers within the orchard
• Incorporating a much more diverse herbaceous perennial mix into the orchard floor

We’re drawing on traditional land management methods alongside modern tools like microscopy to observe soil health, and also learning from forest gardening techniques.

What sets 13 Acre Orchard apart from more traditional operations?

What makes the orchard distinctive is that I’m not aiming to run it as a traditional orchard, nor am I focused solely on modern methods. I’m trying to make the best use of the best ideas - regardless of where they come from.

There’s less reliance on large modern machinery and more people working in the field. But I’m not against technological progress - we use computers and microscopes, and occasionally still use a scythe. The orchard is small by modern standards, but large enough for us to run a viable business while exploring the opportunities of commercial-scale growing.

How do you approach sustainability and long-term soil health?

Carbon sequestration is something we achieve as a side effect of improving soil health. As we continue to add organic matter, more life appears in the soil, and the trees become healthier. This is an ongoing process.

Looking to the future, I hope to incorporate forest gardening elements into the orchard to introduce more diverse crops and encourage greater biodiversity in both plant and insect life. This would allow us to explore how far we can lean into diversity while still remaining a productive commercial orchard.

This winter, I also hope to explore the potential of integrating a pond system within and around the orchard. If practical, this could greatly enhance the area’s wildlife. I’m also planning to plant more non-fruit trees as part of a move away from monoculture, helping to create a more diverse and resilient system.

The goal is always the same: to improve things where and when we can - building healthier soil, supporting biodiversity, and creating an orchard that thrives both ecologically and economically.

You’ve recently supplied fruit to Patience Distillery. What do you think about their approach to seasonality?

Patience is bold in pushing the boundaries of what seasonality can mean in the world of spirits. On the farm, I don’t really have the option to ignore the seasons - I’m working with the elements every day. Unlike controlled indoor systems, which are incredible in their own way, this farm has to be resilient and adaptive.

Working with the seasons opens up space to explore what’s actually around us at different times of year, and what’s possible when you stop trying to make the same flavour or product all year round.

Instead of chasing uniformity, we get variations of a theme - flavours that reflect their moment in time. That approach leads to a much richer and more grounded experience, not just for the maker, but for the customer too. People get to reconnect with the reality around them, which I think is more important than ever.

How does it feel to see 13 Acre fruit used in Patience’s seasonal gin?

I think it’s great that the fruit is being used in the gin. The concept is strong, and it’s clear that a lot of thought and dedication has gone into bringing all the flavours together to create something special. It’s exciting to see the fruit grown here become part of a carefully crafted drink, rather than being treated as just another ingredient.

Hopefully, more people will take inspiration from this kind of approach and see the value in working with the seasons rather than against them. There’s something satisfying about knowing the fruit you’ve grown is being used in a way that reflects the time and place it came from. It feels honest and it adds a bit more meaning to the final product.