Premium produce brand Growfair made a successful launch into Wales this summer, with Pembrokeshire-grown strawberries including Elsanta and Malling Pearl, as well as field-grown varieties Darselect and Florence.
The brand, launched by Bristol Fruit Sales (BFS), features soft fruit from Cornwall, as well as Wales.
The Welsh season got off to a favourable start but, as also experienced with Growfair-branded fruit in Cornwall, the cooler, wet weather in July meant yields were lower than usual and maintaining continuity has been a struggle at times.
Nevertheless, Growfair - Pride of Wales strawberries enjoyed prominence as the main fruit at The Ashes cricket match in Cardiff at the beginning of the test series.
The Cornish autumn crop is to come on stream at the end of the month and early signs are that the yields and quality will be excellent.
The other two main berry lines, raspberries and blueberries, are also branded under the Growfair - Pride of Cornwall banner.
BFS teamed up with a local blueberry grower in July to launch Cornish blueberries throughout the county for the first time. The crop is mainly the variety Duke, which has been well received by customers including local hotels and restaurants.
Raspberry volumes will increase over the next few weeks and growers are anticipating a better year with tunnel crops, especially with Glen Ample.
Growfair brand manager Mark Oughtred said: “Since we launched Growfair, the soft-fruit sector has played an increasingly important role within the product portfolio and we are looking for more suppliers of soft fruit across the counties of the South West as the brand expands, to satisfy an increasing demand for local produce.
“The launch of Growfair into Wales with strawberries has now been followed by Welsh cauliflowers, with the prospect of carrots and parsnips in the near future.”
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