Our guest this episode is Jo Colman, Chief Mint Officer at Summerdown, and fourth-generation member of the family to steward their farm near Basingstoke, Hampshire. Jo’s career is rooted in heritage and reinvention: his grandfather, the last family member involved in Colman’s Mustard, revived the long‑lost Black Mitcham peppermint variety in the UK after sourcing cuttings from US growers.
What began as a half‑tennis‑court‑sized experiment has grown into around 100 acres of single‑estate peppermint, the foundation of Summerdown’s award‑winning chocolates, teas, bodycare and home fragrance.
Jo describes Summerdown as ‘the peppermint people’, but the business is far more than a brand. It is a vertically integrated farm‑to‑product operation: the team grows, harvests and distils peppermint on site, alongside chamomile, lavender and cereals.
Their oats are produced through a nature‑positive partnership with Jordans, requiring wildflower margins and land set aside for biodiversity. Manufacturing is carried out by long‑term UK partners before products return to the farm for fulfilment and distribution.
A defining theme of Jo’s leadership is the idea of ‘right‑sized growth’. He likens it to an oak tree: expansive in its early years, then regenerative rather than extractive once mature.
Summerdown’s strategy focuses on cutting carbon, connecting people with place, and cultivating natural stewardship – an approach reflected in its 75 km of hedgerows, rare wildflowers, and the return of species such as stone curlew.
When a long‑standing manufacturing partner collapsed, Summerdown faced a choice between cheaper commodity chocolate and a higher‑quality single‑origin chocolate from a fellow B Corp. The latter reduced margins but strengthened ethics, flavour and carbon performance—an easy decision once viewed through their value lens.
Two themes stand out: Jo’s belief that place is the heart of the brand, and his conviction that regenerative business requires taking the harder, longer‑term path to create shared value for land, people and partners.
Visit Summerdown at: https://summerdown.com/
