Scotland’s leading berry supplier hosted its yearly conference this month, celebrating 30 years of business and assessing the best path forward for its growers and partners
Scottish berry supplier Angus Soft Fruits held its annual conference on 14 November, in the heart of domestic berry production on Scotland’s northeast coast, welcoming its growers, staff and partners to celebrate the group’s 30th anniversary.
Traditional bagpipes, drums and ceilidh dancing concluded a day of discussions on the state of the berry category and the path forward for Angus Soft Fruits and its growers.
“I’m delighted to be here celebrating with you all,” said Jim Fairlie, minister for agriculture and connectivity in the Scottish government. “And there’s a huge amount to celebrate in this sector, both what Angus Soft Fruits has achieved over that time, and the achievements of the fruit sector in Scotland as a whole. That means not only our growers, but all those in different roles across the supply chain who have all played a crucial part in the sector’s success. The soft fruit industry has been a real success story for Scotland in the face of some significant challenges.”
Fairlie identified rising costs, labour availability and cost, and climate change as key challenges for the sector. Since the UK’s departure from the EU, he lamented, it has become harder to offer multi-year funding programmes to help overcome such issues.
“We are working to provide clarity on the Fruit and Vegetable Aid scheme from 2026 onwards,” he said. “We have no plan to change or scrap the scheme. But I don’t see how we can go beyond three-year commitments since the Labour government have got rid of ringfencing.”
Premium drives growth
Following a period of high inflation, Kantar’s Lesley Ann Gray suggested lower inflation was starting to make households more comfortable, with premium driving growth in the FMCG sector.
Rabobank’s Cindy van Rijswick pointed to positive consumption trends in Germany and Netherlands, where berries were outperforming total fresh fruit sales. “Despite all the talk of healthy eating these days, consumers are not eating more fruit and vegetables,” she revealed, “but berries are still doing well.”
That growth is being driven by premium varieties, she said, highlighting the varietal change that is taking place across the segment. “In 2018/19 in Spain, the top three varieties accounted for almost 80 per cent of volumes,” she said. “Now it is less than 50 per cent.”
Lucy Wilkins, breeding programme director for the Ava Berries Breeding Programme, spoke about new raspberry varieties that have recently been launched, as well as trials of new strawberry and blackberry varieties.
“This summer we launched two new raspberries, Ava Dali and Ava Monet,” she said, highlighting their reduced cost of production, faster picking speed, high yield and premium status. “They look amazing in the punnet, really helping with repeat purchases. There are trials to develop these varieties year-round.”
Trials are also underway in Huelva for two early strawberries in the standard-plus segment, Ava Alicia and Ava Catalina, she said, to add to the June-bearing Ava Magnum, one of the most popular strawberries in the UK premium market.
“We also have a new, low-chill strawberry called Bachata,” revealed Wilkins, “which is an early premium variety with long conical fruit and a good tolerance to powdery mildew. In addition, we are coming to the end of the selection process for three blackberries that we are really excited about. Our aim is to increase our special varieties from 20 per cent to 50 per cent of sales.”
Global plans for Scottish berries
Angus Soft Fruits managing director John Gray expects more and more volumes to be exported, to current markets like Japan and the UAE, as well as to new countries. “Scotland leads the way in UK food and drinks exports with whisky and salmon,” he said, “so why not berries? There are huge opportunities in Asia if we can gain access to markets like Vietnam and Thailand.”
Tom Harvey of premium UAE retailer Spinneys said that Angus was turning things around in the Gulf market after decades of dominance from Driscoll’s.
“Angus strawberries are the most expensive in the store, selling for around £11 for two punnets,” he said. “It’s the number one line at Spinneys, not just for fruit but for the total business. Out of around 27,000 products, Scottish strawberries account for 1 per cent of our total sales, which is incredible. At the moment we have exclusivity over the the Ava Magnum, so no other retailer in the UAE or Saudi Arabia has this variety right now. Next year we will also be offering the premium Ava Monet raspberry.”
Collaborating with technology
According to van Rijswick, collaboration and partnerships will be essential for fresh produce businesses moving forward. “You need the whole supply chain to work together in order to ensure consumer satisfaction,” she said.
The UK Agri-Tech Centre has a two-year collaboration with Angus Soft Fruits, and the group’s Claire Hodge touched on various research projects being undertaken to address issues in the fields of sustainability, food security, disease pressures, and labour and productivity.
She said the centre was currently working on increasing strawberry quality and yield using precision pollination with Polybee drones; enhancing pollinator activity with acoustic technology; and early disease detection (in apple orchards) with hyper spectral imaging.
Angus grower James Porter revealed his farm at East Scryne had successfully trialled a robot from Saga, a company providing autonomous robots that use UV light to prevent powdery mildew in strawberries and grapes in the UK and US.
“In 2024, Saga treated 10 per cent of the UK strawberry market,” said the company’s Damian Flynn. “Now we’re doubling the acreage we’re doing with Angus, from 20ha this year to 40ha next year.”
Morocco-based Carlos Portoles expressed concerns about current production trends in the North African country, suggesting investments in new technologies were currently unrealistic for many producers.
“When a grower is already struggling to cover costs, it takes a lot of bravery to invest in new technologies,” he said. “We are worried in Morocco, as Hass avocados are taking over from strawberries. Three years ago, we had a production area of 3,800ha. Now we have 2,000ha. In Morocco, berries are still grown in the old style, in the soil, and producers don’t really see the point in adopting new technologies.”
“The important thing about technology is it has to work for the grower,” stressed Flynn. “There’s no point in developing technology for technology’s sake. There needs to be a better understanding of the grower’s problems and economics, and deliver fast returns on investment.”
“The adoption of mechanisation, automation, robotisation and AI has to be a step-by-step process,” concluded van Rijswick. “It will take some years for everything to be automated, but technology will be important in overcoming many challenges in the industry.”
