Potatoes aren’t the most exciting product in the fresh produce aisle.
But potato supplier Branston has pulled out all the stops to give the category an image makeover and educate schoolchildren in the process.
The colourful Billy Branston Bus, officially opened yesterday at the company’s Lincolnshire HQ, is a redesigned, repainted and fully-equipped double-decker bus, which will tour the country’s schools giving workshops to primary school children.
Using interactive rooms, props and videos, the bus showcases the journey of a potato from farm to fork. The information provided during the sessions is linked to the school Key Stage One curriculum, and will be presented by a full-time on-board team.
Features include an air-conditioning unit to demonstrate temperatures in a cold store, weighing scales and calculators to demonstrate the grading process, and a raised soil bed to demonstrate de-stoning during growing.
The initiative is part of Tesco’s Eat Happy campaign, which began in February this year, and aims to show children where food comes from using online field tours, farm and store trails, as well as supporting supplier-led initiatives such as the Branston bus.
“The main aim is to visit schools – using our curriculum-led information we can work with children from the age of six to 11,” said James Truscott, Branston sales and marketing director. “But we can also see ourselves using the bus for factory tours, or for new product launches. We can also visit set-piece events with the bus, such as harvest festivals.”
Truscott said the project could “absolutely” boost excitement and consumption in the wider potato industry. “It’s very worthwhile. We are very excited about it,” he added.
The Billy Branston Bus will begin its tour of the UK today (17 September) at a local Lincolnshire school, but Truscott said schools from across the country can now apply to be visited by emailing the team.
