he company now known as Albert Bartlett was founded in 1948, when the man himself began boiling beetroot in an old tin bath at his home in Coatbridge, Scotland to supply to local stores. The company now supplies Britain with over 450,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes per year.
From its humble beginnings, the company is now the UK’s leading supplier of potatoes with over 11,000 hectares devoted to growing crops.
One of the biggest developments for the company was the launch in 2003 of the Rooster brand, fronted by Desperate Housewives actress Marcia Cross.
“From an initial launch into Scotland, the brand has now expanded into the European market,” says Gillian Kynoch, director of development and innovation at the firm.
The company has established its own dedicated grower group on Jersey, now amounting to 40 per cent of the island’s production. “Albert Bartlett’s investment on the island has encouraged the next generation to remain in these businesses - people who were otherwise in danger of leaving farming,” claims Kynoch. “It has also encouraged others who had previously stopped growing potatoes to re-enter the industry. Building our own state-of-the-art packing facility on the island enables us to harvest potatoes to order and pack at source, ensuring the freshest product possible. We have extended this model now to packing on farm in Cornwall.”
The company is currently working on developing new varieties. “Albert Bartlett works closely with breeders in Scotland, Ireland and the rest of Europe and have extensive variety field trials. Agronomic performance is, of course, important but taste is valued above everything,” says Kynoch.
It is also focussing on expanding Albert Bartlett brands - chiefly Rooster, into international markets in the Netherlands, France, eastern Europe and the USA. “We have recently established our US office in Denver to get on the ground to assess the marketing opportunities.”
Looking ahead to the next 10 years, Kynoch believes digital and mobile communications, combined with the social-media revolution, will continue to transform the way brands talk to consumers. “We need to continue to engage with the consumer and educate them on seasonality, gastronomy and function, but the channels and methods we use to do this will evolve. Personality and provenance will continue to be important. As communications become more dynamic customer understanding will improve.
“If the industry embraces the opportunities that these two-way conversations bring it will be well placed to take advantage of key trends in consumer behaviour and will be ready to connect with the shopper with products that meet defined needs.” -
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