William Hermon Bond (pictured below in the 1930’s with his South Devon cattle) was a tenant of Port Eliot Estate. His farm expanded from around 30 acres supplemented by a local milk round until the family were able to move to nearby Trerulefoot in 1942 to a larger 140 acre farm. William could see that the rapid improvement in yield were going to cause over-production and told his three sons – Jim, Martin and Hermon – that they would “farm themselves out of business”. This piece of advice would lead the Bond family to become ‘serial diversifiers’ for the next 60 years with a variety of businesses. The Bond family knew that diversification was the way forward and this started in the 1930’s when the bed & breakfast visitors and caravan site started. A few years later, William joined forces with his three sons and in 1957, WH Bond & Sons was formed.
