Tastes of Anglia (TOA), the eastern region’s food and drink group, is a partly government-funded promotional body that was set up by Food from Britain in 1992 to raise awareness of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk’s variety of food and drink products. FPJ talks to Julie West, chief executive of TOA, about the region’s fresh produce and the opportunities out there for the industry in Anglia.
What role does the organisation play?
At TOA we have 400 members, who produce food and drink all over the region of Anglia, and who we guide and support through our annual Buyers’ Guide [a directory of food and drink producers and service providers to the industry in Anglia] and quarterly newsletter, organising events and workshops, and generally promoting the opportunities available.
Our ‘meet the buyer’ events have been very successful; we get together an average of 20 producers and 80 buyers from the region, and they establish new contracts or working relationships from this event. We also arrange networking events to get producers together, and this year, with funding from Food from Britain, we undertook some research into the buying habits of the region’s farm shops. We found that there was a big gap between their wish list and reality, so from there we can develop a project bid to help reconnect producers, wholesalers and the shops by ensuring that much of the regional produce is bought and consumed in the region.
Have TOA’s aims changed over the last 15 years?
Change is in the air; consumers want provenance and local produce, and there is so much growth in our area. We have stayed true to our aims, but over the last five years everyone has wanted a piece of us and we have been riding on the crest of a consumer wave. As an organisation, we have been present at the Taste of London exhibition, the Restaurant Show, the Speciality Fine Food Show and many large shows this year. But we remain focused on smaller businesses and helping them get ahead. In this region there seems to be only two types of food and drink businesses; large businesses that serve the supermarkets and those that serve farm shops and sell directly at farmers’ markets. There is a great gap in the middle in this region, and we are focused on promoting businesses with a niche or added value.
How important are fresh produce businesses to TOA and where do they need support?
Fresh produce is a key part of our organisation, especially with current trends towards local produce. Approximately 25 of our members are fresh produce businesses, which is quite a small number considering how many businesses are in the area, but a lot of them don’t believe they need to promote themselves with us. That is one of the main problems in dealing with growers; they are often very reluctant to market their produce. We have all those acres of grade A farming land out there and yet a lot of people are going out of business. In Anglia, what people don’t realise is that we are actually at the beginning of a great opportunity; we need the industry, including wholesale and foodservice, to work with us to push forward local food to local people.
What are the main barriers facing the organisation?
Funding is the main issue. At the moment, TOA is mainly funded by its private ventures such as the Buyers’ Guide and fees paid by members. We find it a terribly difficult and time-consuming process to apply for funding from our regional development agency, the East England Development Agency, and this is something that makes our members angry too. TOA is putting forward a proposal to organise a food and drink trade show in Anglia, but I really don’t know how long it will take to happen.
I have also noticed that a lot of our members are confused regarding issues such as the carbon footprint, climate change and food miles. These issues have brought us to certain crossroads, and it is very confusing, for both the industry and consumers, as there are no clear messages. I think that buying local should become the norm, but because it is better quality - not purely because it is local.
Is TOA involved in the Year of Food and Farming initiative?
A number of the region’s farmers went through training this summer to have farm visits on site, and the organisation will be involved in some of the events Food from Britain has funded within the eastern region. We are part of the team developing the Year of Food and Farming in this region and it is a really good initiative. TOA would like to be more involved in school visits to schools - linking and communicating with people is our strength.
Trader buyers’ evening planned
Trade buyers from the food and drink industry are invited to a special trade-only evening at TOA’s 12th showcase event, Feast EAST 2008, which will take place on March 6-8, at Chilford Hall in Linton, Cambridgeshire. The trade-only evening will be held on Thursday March 6, from 2pm to 7pm, and is free.
The event will comprise more than 80 stands, offering a range of the finest regional products, from ice-cream and fresh produce, to jams and chutneys, fruit juices and beers. New for 2008, the event will house a wholesalers’ marquee on the trade day, providing an opportunity for wholesalers to meet the producers face to face.
New style of farm shop in Suffolk
Suffolk Food Hall opened its doors in Ipswich in May with the aim of offering all kinds of different products under one roof. The Paul family, which owns and runs the business, decided that they were going to fill the gap that farmers’ markets and food shops often create.
“When we developed the concept of the food hall, we wanted to provide a complete offer and succeed where some farm shops fall down,” says Oliver Paul, pictured with the latest addition to the family, Verity. “But we have learnt a massive amount since then, especially with our fruit and vegetable offer. It was the one area that I thought would be easy to source, as we know a lot of producers in the area, but it has been very hard to get a continuous supply and the right amount of business. It has been hard providing a balance between what people say they want and what they buy. For example, people say they want local, dirty potatoes, but they didn’t sell. The minute we got in washed potatoes and pre-portioned the produce into brown paper bags, they sold again.”
Amongst its restaurant, garden centre, butcher, fishmonger and bakery, Suffolk Food Hall offers a range of local fruit, vegetable and salad products, as well as organics and produce from overseas. “When we first opened the fruit and veg section, the display and range was all wrong. We addressed this, and just by rearranging the produce and installing a chiller, sales went up by 40 per cent,” says Paul. “We have been through a learning curve and now we will plan for next year’s crop and give plenty of feedback to our suppliers.”
Picking its way to profit
Alder Carr Farm has more than 45 acres of fresh produce, growing kale, chard, carrots and spinach to name a few, and runs an extensive farm shop and pick-your-own facility in Ipswich, Suffolk. Even though supermarkets surround the farm shop, it still attracts customers, says Barry Sheldrake, grower and soft-fruit manager at the farm, pictured.
“Competition from supermarkets is a growing issue, but we are still able to make a profit as a lot of people prefer to shop here,” he says. “We have lower prices than the supermarkets for fruit and vegetables, but I do think that people are understanding that the days of cheap food are coming to an end.”
The business is finding that the pick-your-own fields are becoming popular, and has plans to extend its offer. “We have a regular customer base at the shop and get extra income from people who want to pick their own runner beans, gooseberries and so on. We will try to double the offer next year as it is really going through a revival.”
Fresh produce businesses will have to fight to remain in the market
Poor returns will be the downfall of growers in Anglia, says William Hudson of East Anglia Food Link (EAFL), a not-for-profit organisation, which promotes a more sustainable and localised food chain across eastern England. There is no mechanism in place to level growers’ costs with inflation. The only way growers can survive is to expand their businesses by borrowing money and hope that the business is efficient enough to make the money back.
Another problem linked to this is the fact that the supply chain is too long; the return price for growers has been cut considerably because wholesalers are not passing enough money back to the growers. Wholesalers focus far too much on imported fruit and vegetables and do not seem to have the loyalty towards growers that they used to. Imported fruit and vegetable prices generally set the price now in wholesale, and the prices offered have no relation to local growers’ costs. Growers need to start dealing directly with their end customer to survive this climate.
If wholesale is to get more local and seasonal, wholesalers are going to have to make an effort to form partnerships with farmers and establish growing programmes. Spot buying by wholesalers is the reason why farmers do not want to do business with wholesales. Growers are now looking to invest in their own transport systems so that they can deliver direct to hotels and restaurants. Wholesale is not that interested in crop assurance and provenance, but consumers are starting to be. Supermarkets are tapping into this very well with planned programmes for growers and they are managing to answer local and seasonal questions by simply labelling where the produce comes from.
A cheap food policy has meant that the price paid to food producers has become very low and a lot of the dealings that have been going on in the industry are very unsustainable. Only educating the public and buyers of the fruit and vegetables in restaurants and hotels that local produce is sustainable for the local economy will we see a difference.
People don’t fully appreciate that we are looking at an evolution of how the industry works - and what makes it worse is that we don’t know where it is leading us. The industry do not understand issues like climate change, food miles, carbon footprints, sustainability or food security. What we need to do now is manage the chaos that all this confusion has caused.
Nursery new cornershop
Norfolk-based Cornerways Nursery, part of the British Sugar Group, went through a transformation this year by expanding its nursery and packing facility from 12.5 to 26.5 hectares. This expansion has allowed the company to broaden its product range and diversify its offer.
“The expansion has allowed us to produce different types of tomatoes,” says Nigel Bartle, nursery manager of Cornerways Nursery and chairman of the British Tomato Growers’ Association. “Previously, we were limited to producing just one type of tomato and now we grow nine different varieties. We can now do taste comparison promotions at shows and supermarkets, and it has really opened up the market for us.”
The company’s greenhouses are powered with secondary energy from its neighbouring British Sugar factory. It is a member of Taste of Anglia (TOA) and supplies large multiplies with fresh tomatoes, as well as smaller local shops and markets. “We have made lots of contacts through TOA’s guide,” says Paul Simmonds, technical manager at Cornerways Nursery. “A local shop called Orchard Egg’s sells our tomatoes, and that is a contact made through the guide. It takes the fruit further south than before.”
Heritage revival, and it’s not from Shropshire
East Anglia-based company G’s Marketing Ltd was at the BBC Good Food Show London this month to showcase its golden beetroot, red beetroot and heritage celery varieties, and launch its new brand name, Guy Shropshire’s.
G’s used to grow and distribute a range of conventional and organic fresh salad products and vegetables to multiples, catering groups, wholesalers, food manufacturers and processors under the brand name Shropshire’s. But the company found that many thought that the name referred to the origin of the farmer, rather than his surname.
“We went to launch the re-brand from Shropshire’s to Guy Shropshire’s, and to push forward our heritage varieties, including our Fenland celery and golden beetroot,” says Dan Cross of G’s. “Heritage vegetables are going through a revival and we are now offering them to the UK market once more. The key thing with the varieties is that they are still in season at this time and they can be grown well in the UK. Our traditional Cheltenham beetroot has been around since the Victorian times, but more a more continental beetroot has become popular. Our celery can be grown for longer in the UK, as it grows particularly well in East Anglia’s black soil.”
G’s is hoping that it will be able to harvest this year’s crop of heritage celery until December. The crop has experienced some difficulties with this year’s cold weather, but techniques such as heaping up the earth around the celery sticks has meant improved flavour and increased yield.
Traditionally, the company has grown its heritage lines on a small scale for farmers’ markets and local retailers, but its heritage range is now available throughout Tesco stores within East Anglia. Tesco also runs a Guy Shropshire’s fruit and vegetable box scheme through Tesco.com.
“Golden beetroot was very popular in Victorian times and we have re-introduced it this year after several years of trialling,” says Cross. “The only problem is that no-one thinks it is beetroot - and that is one of the reasons we are here at the food show. In its raw state it is a dirty yellow and I think people generally believe it is some kind of parsnip. That is why we are selling it prepared with orange blossom honey and white wine vinegar to show what it is. When it has been established as beetroot, we will start to sell it fresh like our red beetroot.”
East Anglian spuds proving popular at Tesco
Potato producer and supplier Greenvale AP has had great success with its East Anglia-branded packaged potatoes in Tesco, launched last year.
“The local trend is really strong at the moment,” says Paul Coleman, technical director at Greenvale AP. “We produce all of the East Anglia potato packs for Tesco and we are now the biggest local brand. This has been extremely successful and, in a short period of time, has become one of the leading local brands in thecountry.”
Based in March, Cambridgeshire, Greenvale AP, which also supplies caterers and processing outlets, will start the season with a 20-store launch of new potatoes from East Anglia, which will include tastings and giveaways, followed by the launch of maincrop regional lines and further promotional activity.
Coleman maintains that the company can produce an almost year-round supply of East Anglian potatoes and does not experience the struggle that some regions can to produce local potatoes. The company produces more than six potato varieties for its mixed bags of white and baking potatoes, including Maris Piper and Charlotte. It has also recently introduced a new variety of potato to its fields, the Mayan Gold, which has been bred from a South American potato species.
“We started by growing 70 acres of the variety last year, but we have had to double that this year due to demand,” says Coleman, pictured. “The potatoes have the same amino acids as food like Parma ham and have been a real hit with the foodies.”
West call for an Eastern food hub
Taste of Anglia (TOA) has been involved in research into whether the region of Anglia needs a distribution centre, or food hub, to make the food chain in the area more effective. “We want to bring local food to local people without it going through a multitude of companies in the process,” says Julie West of TOA.
“Larger companies in the area have established quite sophisticated relationships with supermarkets, but smaller companies are sending their produce on quite a journey. We have the situation at the moment where growers are selling their produce to wholesale markets in London, which is then sold to a distributor in the region and carted back here, which is ridiculous.”
West maintains that there has been a lot of interest in the idea of a food hub, but the research is only the first stage and it will be some time before the centre becomes a reality.
Cornerways Nursery agrees that there is something missing from the area. “We want to deal with someone who deals with the end customer,” says the company’s Paul Simmonds. “The industry needs to shorten the food chainto ensure productisfresher for the consumer, but also very much for financial reasons.”
Carrs motoring along in Clacton
J Carr & Son has been growing a range of vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts for three generations at Brook Lynne Farm in Beaumont, Clacton-on-Sea. Chris Carr, whose grandfather rented the 130-hectare farmland 53 years ago, now farms the land and runs, along with his parents, a farm shop that sells other producers’ fruit and veg, as well as the farm’s own.
“Since we bought the land 12 years ago, we have increased the range of produce we grow and the amount of outside produce we stock in the shop,” says Carr, pictured. “We have a popular line of purple cabbage, purple cauliflower and Romanesque broccoli, and we deliver orders to more than 50 restaurants in the area.
“My mother opened the farm shop about 30 years ago as a hobby, but now people come from all over the place to visit it and it does really well.”
Carr compares the company’s farm shop to a farmers’ market, and makes sure that it stocks produce from overseas as much as the local offer. As well as working the land, Carr makes two trips a week to Spitalfields market in London. “We do get demand for local produce, but more recently it has been for the Spanish fruit,” he says.
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