The original-ketchup-crafting bros tell Rosanna Rothery about their earthy adventures on the farm
Wild swim in a glistening pond, unwind in an outdoor sauna, amble around forest gardens, slumber in a rural cabin and embrace the opportunity to get up close and personal with a squabble of ducks and a snuffle of pigs. A visit to Higher Farm in Somerset offers immersion in the good life, with adventurous and grounding ways to reconnect with nature.
It’s all very earthy, but its owners Matteo and Giacomo Grasso are not remotely shy about spending their days elbow-deep in dirt or facing the raw realities of farming. The two brothers spend most of their time in the great outdoors and know every contour of their 50-acre forest farm.
Still in their mid-twenties, the siblings moved to the former dairy farm, just outside Castle Cary, with the purpose of regenerating the land, creating a forest and – curveball – producing delicious ketchup.
Since 2023, they’ve planted 3,000 trees among their beetroot crops and demonstrated a fervent passion for natural food and regenerative farming.
Bold move
Their relocation from London was the start of a complete lifestyle overhaul for the pair. Before researching innovative farming methods in Mexico and Australia, Matteo ran an Italian street-food business and Giacomo worked in venture capital.
Their Italian upbringing was perhaps the biggest clue as to why they’d want to head to rural Somerset and step into food production and regenerative agriculture.
‘Our Italian grandma was always cooking fresh produce, while our grandfather on the other side of the family owned a farm,’ says Matteo. ‘Our dad now also owns a farm in Sicily, so our attitudes to food have long been rooted in nature.’
Escape to the country
In the process of answering the simple question, ‘How would nature intend for us to nourish ourselves?’, the brothers have created a welcoming farm where visitors are offered a rare opportunity to stop, breathe and interact with nature.
‘We get amazing feedback about it being very relaxed, casual and playful,’ says Giacomo. ‘There’s a family vibe about what we’re doing, yet it also has a purpose.
‘I think people resonate with the fact that Matteo and I are two young guys trying to do something different. They find it refreshing.’
Forest farming
The brothers are doing all they can to invest in the future of UK agriculture. One way is by planting trees to develop biodiversity and soil health. They’re also encouraging people to eat natural, unprocessed foods via their production of an unusual kind of ketchup made from beetroot, raw apple-cider vinegar and honey.
‘We see it as a huge opportunity to build an exciting, abundant future that will help to reverse climate change and reduce illness,’ says Matteo. ‘With projects like ours, people can have faith that we are the generation who will have happy children.’
Honest-to-goodness ketchup
Heinz Ketchup may be the nation’s 15th favourite food brand, but the brothers are adamant that their version is an older and more authentic British recipe. Historically, they argue, Brits would have eaten handmade ketchup crafted from homegrown or foraged crops such as beetroot and mushrooms. In contrast, they contend, tomato ketchup was not imported until after the second world war – and was produced using tomatoes grown largely in South America.
‘Our job is to get people to connect to the original British ketchup,’ says Matteo.‘The feedback we’re getting is that it tastes just like tomato ketchup but a whole lot better.’
Raw and real
The brothers also encourage people to visit their farm to reconnect with nature’s seasons and rhythms.
‘Sometimes when producers are doing good things, they do it in walled gardens, so to speak,’ says Giacomo. ‘In the process of marketing their product, they relate it to a luxurious, exclusive experience or lifestyle. In contrast, people seem to appreciate the rawness and the down-to-earth nature of what we do.’
Matteo adds: ‘There are a lot of experiences in the wellness world that involve being in the middle of London and being lectured about things. We don’t need to tell you anything; you can just come here and experience it.
‘It’s a working farm where you can meet us, walk under our trees, see where we grow the food and eat it via our pop-up food events and the ketchup.’
Ready to rewild
The brothers reveal how becoming farmers has helped make them more grounded.
‘A big one for us has been getting in tune with the seasons,’ says Giacomo. ‘It’s something I really noticed in my personal experience of going from working in an office in London to being out on the farm. Your body wants to have a natural cadence with the seasons, which is often suppressed by being in an urban, industrial environment.’
Matteo stresses eating as the primary way most people connect to (or disconnect from) nature.
‘Everything we eat, whether it’s a grain of wheat or a steak, has originated from something living,’ he says. ‘The more you think about that, the deeper you go. For some of us, connecting to nature is about starting to grow our own food or raise animals.’
Even in the city, he argues, it’s possible to connect to nature by shopping thoughtfully for the ingredients for your Saturday brunch or midweek supper. That might mean visiting small organic greengrocer shops or butchers stores that provide clarity about the provenance of their goods.
‘You can buy vegetables and connect to the story of where they were grown. Yet when walking down a supermarket aisle, people can be actively disconnected from nature – especially when they don’t want to know where ingredients like the meat actually came from.’
Higher Farm, in contrast to that supermarket experience, is a resolutely wild and natural spot. Visitors are free to sit under the trees (Matteo encourages hugging and talking to them), engage with the animals, feast at the occasional pop-ups and feel a connection to the land that feeds us all.
‘There is a lot of noise in the health, wellness and regenerative space,’ says Giacomo. ‘Here, you can experience everything for real and make up your own mind about what we’re doing.’
Giacomo and Matteo’s Food Lifestyle
Where do you like to eat out?
Giacomo says: ‘Briar in Bruton is a great restaurant that connects diners to the land through delicious menus.’
Favourite Somerset walks?
Matteo says: ‘The thing about Somerset is that it’s a very big farming county, so natural wild places aren’t as easy to come by as they are in Devon and Cornwall. You have to carry out more research to discover nice little spots. We have a good friend, Jim, who helps us do that.’
Giacomo says: ‘I love history, so walks around Alfred’s Tower – the folly on the Somerset and Wiltshire border – is a favourite. I also like to climb Glastonbury Tor; the legends are fascinating and the views amazing.’
Where do you take friends when they visit from further afield?
Matteo says: ‘We love the Jurassic Coast. We ran three barefoot marathons there to raise money to create kitchen gardens at a local school. It’s absolutely stunning!’
