Agrico
Overview
· Potato breeder & seed supplier Agrico UK work with 80 independent growers across 1,100ha
· They operate a pool pricing system to better manage market price fluctuations year on year and to be fairer to growers
· Provide multiple storage facilities with capacity for 6,000t using roof fans, cross ventilation letter box systems & drying walls
· Work with all parts of supply chain from Pre-Basic growers to ware producers
· Fully accredited through Investors in people, Safe Haven & Seed Potato Classification schemes
· Provide agronomy advice + extensive variety choices with high disease resistances, thus reducing chemical treatments which can be expensive & detrimental to the environment
· Open routes to markets for growers beyond the UK shores including good trade links with the Canary Islands
Research & Development Projects
· Ozone storage – treating seed potatoes with ozone gas to reduce the instances of rotting during storage
· Bacteriophage project – to determine the effectiveness of naturally occurring Bacteriophage in controlling the negative impact of Pectobacteruim Atrospectica (Blackleg) on growing crops and tubers in store
· Sensory Evaluation – PhD project to determine how best to present and record sensory evaluation of potatoes in different markets and countries
· Bioethanol proof of concept project - Producing Bioethanol from brewer’s draff, pot ale and rotting potatoes with a view to creating Biofuel, reducing waste and potentially producing animal feed
Agrico Principles
· Agrico developed their customer charter, providing information on guiding principles and conduct
· Investors in People
Branston
This year has been a significant return to growth for Branston, with a long-term deal to increase share of business with our customers. We’re also one of the first in the industry to establish long-term contracts, supported by Tesco, with some of our growers which we plan to roll out further this year, giving growers the confidence to plan for the future.
We’ve improved our fresh potato factories too, making significant investments at all sites to improve quality and efficiency, for example a £1.7m investment in state of the art grading at our Scotland factory.
Our Prepared ingredients factory is a new addition to our company; the £5m investment enables us to peel up to 500t of potatoes per-week to be used in a range of convenience products. This collaborative process is the first in the industry, bringing together Branston, Samworths and Tesco to help find a home for visually-imperfect potatoes, reducing food waste throughout the chain.
In Waitrose we’ve been tackling food waste through innovative packaging. Our first-to-market quad packs offer two additional days shelf life, halving waste on the products improved.
Alongside this we’ve recently reached a milestone of 20,000 children educated through our long-term investment in the industry, Billy Branston’s Amazing Potato Factory, a free initiative operating across the country. We also try to give something back to our local communities through volunteering, donations and fundraising for worthy causes. Last year this was in excess of £50,000.
Greenvale
Greenvale is unique in that it is a truly vertically integrated business – from concept to table. Greenvale’s success is built on strong, collaborative relationships with our many partners – from our extensive customer base right back down the supply chain to growers, seed breeders and suppliers, as well as research organisations.
We choose the richest soils for our carefully selected varieties of seed potatoes to be planted. Our customers work with our procurement team to ensure that they get exactly what they want. Once harvested, potatoes are transported to our strategically positioned packing sites to be graded, washed (using our recycled water), packed and delivered to our customers. Our commercial team work closely with all customers, whether retailer, wholesaler or processor to deliver the best-quality potatoes, using consumer insights to offer our customers innovative products and the right product.
Our people are the drivers behind the success of the business. We run graduate and apprenticeship schemes and have mentors around the sites. We like to look after our staff and recently converted a container into a portable ‘Welfare Station’ complete with toilet, working kitchen and workshop for use out in the field.
We are committed to working on our waste through our Green20 strategy, 100 per cent of the crop harvested goes into the food chain, outgrades either go for animal feed or to our processing plant where they are cooked and prepared for other potato uses.
M H Poskitt
M H Poskitt is a family owned and run business in Yorkshire, growing and packing over 1,700 acres of field vegetables, including carrots, parsnips and swede.
R&D – M H Poskitt continues to trial new varieties on the farm, and carries out on-farm research. During the past 10 years Poskitts has worked closely with Certis to develop Nemguard, a natural product to combat nematodes.
Innovation – We have focused in the last few years on waste reduction. In 2015 Guy Poskitt was featured on “ Hugh’s War on Waste”. Our prepared vegetable enterprise utilises a large proportion of outgrade material, which otherwise would have been handled and disposed of as waste. During 2016 the company has invested £2.4m in the latest camera grading equipment from Tong Vissar, thus reducing labour costs and increasing crop utilisation.
Environment – We have invested in several renewable energy projects, including an in-field solar panel system, and an anaerobic digester. The AD plant utilises our vegetable waste and produces 40 per cent of the energy used by the site, and 100 per cent of the heat used by the workshop and offices. We comply with all of the environmental measures, which are part of cross compliance, and have our own 20 acre nature reserve.
Industry – Guy Poskitt has just completed two years as national chairman for the NFU Horticulture & Potato Board, and is now vice chairman. He has campaigned for a fair deal to farmers. Finally, the company hosts visits for colleges, farming groups and young farmers.
No comments yet