Bristol Fruit Sales (BFS) is celebrating its victory at the BBC Radio 4 Food and Farming awards 2009 last week in London.
The Bodmin-based fresh produce wholesaler landed the prestigious national award for Best Retail Initiative for its Growfair - Pride of Cornwall brand.
The award was presented by Their Royal Highnesses, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall.
The premium Growfair brand, launched by the company nearly two years ago from their Bodmin depot, is aimed at filling a gap in the market for a strong and easily recognisable fresh produce brand that customers can relate to as being authentically Cornish and authentically in season.
BFS says the mark promotes Cornish farmers and their crops while giving them better financial returns for their top-quality produce.
The initiative was launched in collaboration with the University of Plymouth as part of a government-funded scheme called the Knowledge Transfer Partnership, which combines the needs of a business with academic knowledge and expertise to help bring about strategic change.
BFS joint managing director Nick Matthews said: “Having been up against competition from across the whole of the UK, we’re absolutely delighted to have won such an award. It reflects the hard work and commitment that our growers and the Bristol Fruit Sales team have put in to create a brand we can all be very proud of.”
Growfair currently sources from more than 25 Cornish growers, from an original number of 12, and despite an already extensive product range, the company is looking to expand its local supply chain even further. In the summer of 2009, Growfair was successfully launched into Wales and Devon, and is continuously exploring opportunities in other areas that demonstrate potential.
To reduce costs, food miles, and carbon emissions, Growfair produce is collected directly from local farms on backhauls of daily delivery runs.
