Angus Soft Fruits is the largest independent Scottish soft fruit marketing company. Established in 1994 by three soft fruit growers, its aim was simple - to benefit both customers and growers by improved direct contact between the two.
At the time of the company’s inception production systems and techniques were tradition-based, with all crops grown outside exposed to the elements and cropping over six weeks.
However, since 1994 Angus Soft Fruits has increased its UK production significantly through various developments. Commercial manager John Gray explains: “In 2004 the company will market 3,500 tonnes of strawberries and 650t of raspberries produced by around 20 growers, including the recent establishment of an English grower base. This represents year-on-year volume growth of 50 per cent.
The company has a reputation for innovation within the soft-fruit industry, which is due to the efforts of a dedicated research & development team. The company has developed new varieties, sophisticated growing systems and innovative production techniques to extend the availability of the best eating UK strawberries and raspberries from early May through to early November from polytunnel production. Gray says: “Through utilisation of new varieties, cropping systems and production techniques we have extended the season of production considerably, with 95 per cent of cropping protected against the weather.
“Also, in 2003 we established a joint venture with a leading Spanish soft fruit grower. In its second year the business has expanded by 100 per cent. Together with supply from the Netherlands our company now markets strawberries, raspberries and blueberries to the UK multiples all year-round. The benefits of Angus Soft Fruits r&d programme are now being extended to the winter season, through the exchange of information with its Spanish partner. This allows us to provide the best eating varieties of strawberries, raspberries and blueberries to our customers.”
One of the firm’s innovations is the strawberry variety Ava, developed and owned by Angus Soft Fruits. Gray says: “We grow and market Ava exclusively and it accounts for the majority of premium line strawberries sold in the UK. The variety has a superior flavour to the industry standard, as measured by independent taste panelists and through its unique physiology crops consistently from early May through to early November.”
Gray is also pleased with the development in production techniques of raspberries. He says: “Our new techniques allow for early and late season raspberry production, with the best eating raspberries available in late May, six weeks earlier than traditional systems, cropping through till late September.”
No comments yet