English fruit grower Alan Firmin Ltd has scooped top prize as the overall best of Tesco’s apple and pear growers, at the retailer’s prestigious UK top-fruit producer awards and conference held in Kent this week.
The award was presented to fruit manager Brian Tompsett, who joined Alan Firmin in 1999, bringing 33 years’ experience in fruit growing. He is also a director of Mid Kent Growers.
Last season’s fruit was marketed by Norman Collett Ltd, one of Tesco’s four dedicated suppliers, alongside Empire World Trade, Worldwide Fruit and Richard Hochfeld. Judging is based on a detailed point-scoring criteria.
It includes not just quality gradeout in terms of colour and pressure specifications, but the use of technology to maximise quality from planting through to packhouse, and commitment through investment to the future.
Packhouses nominate growers from one of two categories - growers with under and over 14 hectares. Additionally, the technical and commercial teams for each desk nominate one grower/packer each.
The entrants were judged by Tesco senior fruit buyer Martin de la Fuente and technical manager John Worth. Alan Firmin won the over-14ha category, allowing it to go forward for the ultimate prize, competing against Adrian Scripps Ltd, which won the grower/packer prize, and Andrew Nicholas, winner in the under-14ha class.
Alan Firmin grows fruit on three sites in Kent. With expertise stretching back to 1944, the company currently has 75ha in production, split between Cox, Bramley, Conference, Egremont Russet and Braeburn.
Over the last three years it has invested £35,000 in new Braeburn, Gala, Cameo and Conference orchards, and continues to conduct variety trials on its three farm sites in partnership with Norman Collett, BASF and Bayer CropScience.
Awarded Tesco’s Gold Standard and having achieved 100 per cent within the Assured Produce scheme, Alan Firmin was one of the first in the UK to invest in ethylene- scrubbed storage, and has successfully used SmartFresh, eliminating drenching. The firm’s gradeout has been as high as 90 per cent, while another key factor has been the development of staff training programmes.
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