How we do it
Every project starts with clarity. We work with you to define the decisions that need to be made, the risks that need to be understood and the audiences that matter. From there, we design the right methodological approach.
Our strength lies in combining sector understanding with methodological rigour, ensuring research is robust, proportionate and genuinely useful.
Quantitative research provides the data and evidence organisations need to make confident decisions. At Grounded Research we design robust surveys and large-scale studies to measure attitudes, behaviours and trends across the food and farming sector. Our quantitative research helps clients understand market size, customer perceptions, policy impacts and emerging opportunities. By combining rigorous survey design with access to specialist research panels across agriculture and the food supply chain, we deliver reliable insights that support strategy, product development and investment decisions.
Qualitative research allows organisations to explore the motivations, experiences and perspectives that sit behind the numbers. Grounded Research conducts in-depth interviews, focus groups and workshops with farmers, consumers and industry stakeholders to uncover the real stories shaping the food system. Our qualitative research helps organisations understand complex issues such as technology adoption, sustainability, purchasing behaviour and policy engagement. By listening carefully to the people who shape the sector, we deliver rich insights that inform strategy, communication and innovation.
Behavioural research helps organisations understand why people make the decisions they do. At Grounded Research we apply behavioural science frameworks to explore how farmers, consumers and stakeholders respond to new ideas, technologies and policies. By examining motivations, barriers and decision-making processes, we help organisations design interventions, communications and products that are more likely to succeed in the real world.
Sensory research explores how people experience food and drink through taste, smell, appearance and texture. Grounded Research supports food producers and brands with structured taste tests, consumer panels and product evaluation studies. These insights help organisations refine product development, improve quality and understand how new products perform with consumers in real-life conditions.
Our four proprietary research communities spanning the whole supply chain provide direct access to specialist audiences across the food and farming sector. Grounded Research manages dedicated panels of farmers, animal health practitioners, supply chain professionals and consumers, allowing clients to engage with relevant audiences quickly and reliably. These communities enable ongoing research, rapid feedback and deeper engagement with the people who influence decisions across the food system.
Customer satisfaction research helps organisations understand how well their products, services or programmes are performing. Grounded Research designs surveys and feedback studies that measure satisfaction, identify areas for improvement and track performance over time. These insights support organisations in improving customer experience, strengthening relationships and delivering services that meet the needs of their audiences.
Attitude and awareness studies measure how people perceive organisations, products or ideas. Grounded Research helps clients understand levels of awareness, reputation and trust among farmers, consumers and industry stakeholders. These studies provide valuable insight into brand positioning, communication effectiveness and how perceptions change over time.
Loyalty tracking research helps organisations understand how relationships with customers and stakeholders evolve over time. By measuring loyalty, advocacy and engagement, Grounded Research helps clients identify the factors that drive long-term relationships. This insight supports stronger customer retention strategies and more effective stakeholder engagement across the food and agriculture sector.
Longitudinal research tracks attitudes, behaviours and market trends over time. Grounded Research designs long-term studies that monitor change across the food and farming sector, helping organisations understand how policy, technology and consumer behaviour evolve. These studies provide powerful insight into emerging trends and support evidence-based decision making for organisations operating across the food supply chain.
Our communities
Strong research depends on meaningful access. We have developed specialist communities to ensure we can engage the right participants consistently, ethically and at scale.
These communities allow us to maintain quality, build long-term relationships and deliver insight grounded in trust.
An interest-led consumer research community for people who think about food consciously. Ideal when you need adoption insight, willingness to pay, messaging resonance and real behaviour change drivers.
A dedicated farming research community giving access to real farmers, with robust qual and quant methods to ensure views are fairly represented to the industry.
A supply chain research community connecting experts across the food system, from field to fork. Take part in paid surveys, interviews and roundtables to shape big decisions.
A specialist research community for veterinary and animal health professionals across the UK. From practice pressures and policy change to treatment decisions, welfare and innovation, the animal health sector is facing complex and fast-moving challenges.
We believe strong research balances depth with practicality. Our approach is structured but flexible, ensuring the method fits the question rather than forcing the question into a method.
We are clear about limitations, confident in our sampling and transparent in how findings are interpreted.
Of UK consumers believe British farmers are doing a good job producing food, showing broad public engagement with agricultural issues.
Of UK consumers now express strong interest or specialist knowledge in farming and food production – up from the previous year.
Source AHDB
Many decisions in food and farming involve trade-offs between cost, sustainability, regulation and consumer demand. Our research frameworks are built to reflect that complexity rather than simplify it away.
We work carefully with participants and stakeholders to ensure insights are honest, independent and grounded in lived experience.
Of the UK’s total land area is used for agriculture, highlighting the scale and diversity of the sector.
Farm holdings operate across the UK, each shaped by different systems, pressures and market conditions.
We work with organisations across food, farming, land use and sustainability. This includes commercial brands, NGOs, membership bodies, government departments, academic institutions, consultants, and supply chain businesses.
Yes. We have established communities and recruitment networks that give us access to farmers and other specialist audiences across the UK. We combine this with careful screening to ensure quality and relevance.
All three. We design projects around the decision you need to make, which often means combining qualitative depth with quantitative scale.
Yes. We run structured sensory and product experience research that supports innovation, reformulation and market readiness, ensuring feedback is robust and commercially useful.
We can develop all research materials from scratch, or collaborate with your internal team. We’re comfortable working flexibly, depending on your needs.
Absolutely. We often work alongside internal insight teams, communications agencies and academic partners, acting as an extension of your team.
Outputs are tailored to your needs. This may include detailed reports, executive summaries, presentations or workshops. We focus on ensuring findings translate into clear implications and next steps.
Yes. We can build, manage and maintain research communities and panels, supporting long-term engagement and ongoing insight programmes.
We work as an extension of your team, with a straightforward, transparent approach and reporting you can act on.
“Extremely flexible to the shifting requirements and timings were collaboratively changed; you allowed us to meet the timelines by being very responsive (at all hours). Great upfront recruiting knowledge. Panellists were a joy to work with; it wasn’t what we expected and it was delightful to have such engaging farmers.”
“Great collaboration in an open and transparent way to help us achieve our outcomes in a complex project. Fantastic partner in these projects.”
“The team have been fantastic to work with… a very thorough project delivered in tight timescales giving us invaluable insight on our new product.”
“You are the preferred agency to use on my list of preferred agencies.”
“Very good communication throughout the project. The team were proactive throughout and understood the brief. Overall the project went well and as delivered on time and to brief.”
“We were very happy with the work completed on this project and the standard of reporting under tight timescales and challenging supply chain issues.”
“Communication was excellent with the team. Emails were timely and project progression was informative and regular. Jan helped frame the survey based on her knowledge to achieve the best results. I felt at times you went over and above the brief to get the best for the client! I appreciate the effort to get the samples, particularly in securing Scottish Farmers.”
