Berry specialist S&A Produce is the packing and marketing business for three growing enterprises: Herefordshire asparagus and strawberry grower S&A Soft Fruits, Kent strawberry grower Moneypeak and South Wales strawberry grower Springfield Soft Fruit.
In total the group has 90 hectares of polytunnels and over 17ha of glasshouse production on four farms across Wales, Herefordshire and Kent – geographically located in order to capitalise on the British season.
Two of the company’s biggest claims to fame are that it is the UK’s largest independent and specialist strawberry grower, and that it opened the first commercial strawberry glasshouse in Wales. This year’s £57.1 million turnover was primarily achieved by supplying soft fruit to major retailers using a combination of UK production and imports.
The company said future growth and investment will prioritise availability and affordable prices. “In addition, the company intends to further improve its service to key UK customers by sourcing good-quality imported produce when UK produce is not available,” a spokesperson says.
With a strong marketing function within the group, S&A Produce is also a member of Lincolnshire-based producer organisation Speciality Produce Limited (SPL).
Previous investment includes an on-site laboratory, where the company conducts research in partnership with the James Hutton Institute into soil nutrition, water and plant materials.
