Tomato grower APS Salads is building new glasshouses as it looks to more than double its existing acreage.
The Cheshire firm is expanding at its recently purchased Europa nursery in Kent.
Development director Phil Pearson said: “We had rented the site from Wight Salads for 18 months before we completed the purchase on 29 June.
“It has seven hectares of tomatoes under glass and there is the development opportunity for a further 5.6ha and 4.8ha in two phases.” APS has also reopened the 23,000sqft packhouse on the site and kept on all staff employed by the previous owner.
APS supplies Tesco with classic round, cherry, baby plum, standard and on-the-vine tomatoes and this multi-million pound equity and loan investment will mean the family firm can increase its volumes into the UK’s leading supermarket.
Pearson expects to be able to start the first phase of development soon. “Hopefully this year, if not, next year,” he predicted.
“We will build each 3ha piece at a time. We are also looking to install 7.5MW of combined heat and power in Kent and replace our 1.5MW at Alderley Edge with a 4MW plant.”
Excess power generated from the site will be sold on to the National Grid.
