Fourayes is the only English-owned and operated apple processor and supplies many food manufacturers and UK multiples. Employing 50 people and with an annual turnover of £5.4million to March 2004 - up from £3.8m year on year - the award-winning company processes 6,500 tonnes of apples a year.
Established in 1953, Fourayes began life as a 100-acre concern growing wheat, potatoes, and fruit. After a £1.75 million investment in technological advancements and factory expansion, Fourayes is today a major player in the Bramley industry. Its farm has a total area of 42 hectares, with more than 40,000 trees producing 1,000 tonnes of Bramley, and supplies apple fillings year-round. Acock forecasts that after 10 years in operation, the processing side of the business will overtake fruit supply as the company’s core business.
“Things have changed quite dramatically since I was a nipper, and although we still employ traditional growing methods, the modernisation of our machinery has meant that we can work more efficiently and produce the goods,” he says.
Since building its facilities in 1997, the company has slowly upgraded all plant and equipment. In 2003, £500,000 was invested to extend the factory in order to provide fruit fillings in bulk at efficient cost levels for its customers. Acock says: “The fillings production area has been expanded and fully refurbished to accommodate planned future growth. A fourth Atlas peeler was added to the line-up, increasing both capacity and product quality. When everything is finally completed, the apple processing capacity will be at 4,700t. We can fill bulk containers of 200kg drums and one tonne tanks. The fillings are made- to-order because they are fresh and have a six-day shelf life. To fulfil our customer obligations, volumes will increase to 7,000t this year to reflect the increase in sales.
“We have focused efforts on food manufacturers, sales and marketing, and streamlining the assembly line. Instead of mixing and buying filling in bulk, we now plug the raw materials straight into the line. We saw an opportunity to invest in processing equipment to complement our customers’ pastry-making expertise.”
Fourayes supplies M&S, Tesco, Waitrose and Asda. Its fillings won Brammy awards for its M&S Frozen Bramley apple pie for four years running and as a runner-up for its Tesco Finest product. This year Fourayes will supply apples for the New Covent Garden Food Company’s Parsnip and Bramley Soup.
Fourayes has been the main processed apple supplier to M&S for 20 years, developing non-preserved fresh supplies for its dessert products. In October 2003, Acock was chosen as the face of British desserts for the M&S For the Love of Food campaign. “It was a real boost for Kentish Bramley to be recognised as best for desserts. There were pies baked in-store and the public enjoyed meeting the grower. It gives them an identity,” he says. “The support we receive from M&S and other key customers helps to grow the business.”
Moreover, this year Fourayes scooped a £1m mincemeat contract to supply major retailers including Tesco and Asda. Acock says: “One of the main ingredients in mincemeat is apples, and as Fourayes dominates the apple processing sector in the UK, it made sense to move into this market. The contract will play a significant role in our expansion, and it has meant that we get the opportunity to experiment with other ingredients such as sultanas, raisins and cherries.” The 1,000t a year contract started in June and will continue through to December, along with 6,500t of apple and other fruit fillings.
Business development manager, Andy Stokes joined Fourayes just over a year ago, from one of Fourayes customers. “Andy comes from a dessert manufacturer where they made mince pies for M&S. This is why we have developed the mincemeat filling,” says Acock. “It is part of our focus on new product development, and we had the necessary base and facilities to commercially produce the filling.
“The fruit-filling sector offers great potential for growth and this is where we are developing the business. We are working closely with customers to understand their needs. We offer the same service to customers who take our fresh apples, and now also supply fresh apple fillings and provide them with technical support during the transition stage.
“We want to expand in a manageable way. Our five-year strategy is to have one or two innovative products with 100 per cent of the UK market. We want to be a one-stop shop for our customers, as we know they prefer to work with a select number of suppliers. By adding Andy to the team who has the technical ability and understands apples and other fruits - we will look at single fruit fillings. However, apples are the biggest - they are still the number one dessert.”
Acock says that the company wants to attract the best employees and is making a big effort to ensure that Fourayes is well known locally as a good company to work for. “We have a dedicated workforce and the majority of staff have served on the farm for over 10 years. Their hard work is why the business is booming,” he says.
FIXED IDEAS INCREASE STABILITY
Fourayes has long-standing agreements with some contracted growers and this year has entered into grower partnerships with two local producers.
“After two years of severe weather conditions and poor crop, the stability of the fresh produce market is somewhat uncertain,” says Acock. With this in mind, Fourayes is tightening its partnerships with growers to ensure they can supply supermarkets and consumers with exactly what they want - good quality products at an affordable price.
Starting on October 1, Fourayes has contracted the Robert Mitchell Group to supply a certain tonnage/price for two years. Acock says this will enable them to sell the highest quality products at realistic prices, and guarantee supply to customers. “Likewise, the Mitchells can be sure that the alliance will help to protect the Bramley from foreign imports and also means they will sell their crop at a fair price, ensuring sustainability.”
Acock adds that another concern is the declining number of apple-growing hectares in the UK. “We want to be responsible and secure our own raw material supply, as prices are volatile. We do not want massive price swings for customers of our finished produce. The grower partnerships have been set up for two years, when they will be reassessed.”
Acock explains that pricing agreement varies among growers depending on the services they provide. “We need a fixed tonnage every year so we approached the growers and asked what volumes they could produce. We then contracted half of the volume under the fixed priced agreement. If we need more apples, then we will buy the excess in the open market at the market price. This way, growers have a guarantee to sell volume,” he says.
“The industry has faced massive price fluctuations and we were sitting in the middle. This risk, together with our concerns over the declining acreage, led us to contract 1,700t of Bramley under partnership to meet the 1,000t of finished product we are contracted to sell.”
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