Haygrove is a leading berry supplier to UK supermarkets. The growing side of the business consists of 149 hectares of berry production split between its Herefordshire farming operations and its South African growing enterprise Haygrove Heaven.
Haygrove was set up in 1988 after owner Angus Davison planted one hectare of strawberries for a university project – just over 25 years later and the business counts M&S, Waitrose and Tesco among its key customers. The South African farm was established in 2002 with one hectare of soft fruit.
With principal activities listed as soft-fruit production and manufacturing polytunnels for the soft-fruit industry, in its 2013 business report the company said that group turnover increased by two per cent during the year, along with an improvement in gross margin.
“The directors believe the group will continue to trade profitably and be well placed to take advantage of any opportunities which may arise,” a statement in the report read.
Conventional strawberry varieties grown at the firm’s Herefordshire and Gloucestershire nurseries include Sonata, Lusa and Elsanta, while organically-grown varieties include Serena, Scarlet, Sonata and Fenella.
The company uses several varieties from Dutch berry giant Driscoll’s, and said it is committed to R&D as an area of future investment.
