Lower Hope Fruit began growing sweet cherries in 1994. They originally planted rootstock at Sidnall farm on sloping terrain at 650 ft above sea level. The site was ideal for drainage and for achieving late British cherries, well into the month of August. The owner Clive Richards OBE, together with farm business manager Simon Wells experimented with rain covers after seeing them being used in Italy. Shortly after this, Lower Hope embarked on an aggressive expansion plan replacing existing enterprises of blackcurrants, stick beans and dessert apples.  Whilst dessert cherries are their primary business, Lower Hope also grow main crop strawberries and autumn raspberries on either side of the cherry harvest.