How times change: Ashton recalls 25 years of berry success

This month you are celebrating your 25th year at the Poupart Group - can you give an outline of your career to this point?

I joined Poupart in 1985, working in the warehouse as a forklift driver. It wasn’t until 1987 that my career started to take off, first as supervisor then warehouse manager and on to operations manager for the Waltham Cross site, until the realignment of the Poupart Group in the early 1990s. I then spent nine months at our soft-fruit packhouse in Kent, before moving back to the newly formed BerryWorld in late 1994. Since then, my soft-fruit career has taken a varied path covering supply chain, sales and procurement until my current position as procurement director, to which I was appointed in 2008.

How has the company progressed in the last 25 years?

The Poupart Group has continually kept up and ahead of changes in the industry; the Olins family - who I have had the pleasure to work for over the past 22 years - have shaped the group from quite humble beginnings to a turnover of £260 million, of which BerryWorld plays a leading role. I am fortunate to be in an industry where the emphasis from the consumer is for a healthier eating lifestyle and certainly berries fit in with this and the continued growth of the category pays tribute to this.

What has been the one change in the industry that has shaped its path in the last two decades the most?

At the forefront of soft-fruit development are really two things. First, the use of polytunnels; without the ability to protect crops from the UK weather, we would still be struggling to maximise yields from crops. We are therefore able to offer a sustainable, quality product throughout the season. It is the same for our suppliers worldwide as without this innovation, the industry would have not moved forward since its real inception in the 1990s.

Second, the ever improving varieties, of which BerryWorld breeding programmes have played an important role, with both the very successful strawberry programme and more recently with BerryWorld Plus, concentrating on raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

How has supermarket category management changed the fresh produce trade?

BerryWorld was one of the first soft-fruit companies to embrace category management and understand the benefits for both the customer and consumer alike. It has therefore enabled us to confidently increase production with our grower base in a systematic manner, making the business sustainable for all concerned.

It’s your 16th year at BerryWorld. How have you seen the soft-fruit trade develop?

It has changed constantly over the years - all for the good thankfully - with the increasing demand for good quality berries. Our focus has remained on offering the consumer just that.

With the use of crop protection worldwide, we have been able to narrow the gaps between seasons and hemispheres, thus having a continuous supply available to the consumer.

For me personally, the development of the blueberry market and its continuing year-on-year growth stands out. We have played a major role since our inception in 1994, when penetration was at best three per cent, to where we are today, up at 30 per cent. Blueberries are set to become the second most popular berry, overtaking raspberries in the near future. It’s also certainly worth noting the continuing work that British Summer Fruits does in promoting UK soft-fruit.

What are your thoughts on the continual in-season discounting on British strawberries by supermarkets?

We have two specific parts to the season. Firstly April to mid-July; if we look at base retails through this period they haven’t really changed over the last few years - perhaps pack weights have moved around but fundamentally, retails have stayed the same with returns remaining stable. Demand is strong so if a customer wishes to strengthen an offer during this period then this would then be predominantly funded by them.

The second half of the season, which is mainly everbearers, is a little more difficult as demand starts to wane after Wimbledon fortnight, coupled with other produce on strong offers. It is therefore important that customers only work the better varieties on offer to maximise sales. Although the overall cost of production is less, there is a point that if we fall below will not make it viable for the grower, and we would see volumes cut back for the following year. It is our job as marketers to ensure that the buyers understand this and that we return an average across the season that is sustainable for growth of better eating varieties.

With strawberries being more or less an annual crop, it is very easy to adjust volumes as the market dictates. If growers have a good year with sales more or less in line with production, then they will be more reciprocal to growth.

What have been the pitfalls of the produce trade which have perhaps held the industry back?

Even with all the issues that growing soft fruit brings - increasing costs throughout the supply chain, planning issues over tunnels etc - we have never as an industry gone backwards and growth has been sustained.

While we are able to plan what is grown or available to the UK market each year, we are heavily reliant on the individual supermarket buyers; good ones move the industry forward and thus the opposite applies. They have to understand quickly the timelines for propagation as plant numbers are discussed years in advance on some crops and commitments have to be made. We are again fortunate that the vast majority of buyers over the years have been, present company included. Detailed long-term planning, the ability to secure promotional ends at key times and the understanding of the grower base worldwide all make for a good buyer (no pressure there then).

On a personal note, what do you consider your biggest career achievement?

Ultimately, the pinnacle is my appointment to the board of BerryWorld as procurement director.

However, I believe my career has been a string of achievements as I worked my way up through various roles over the past 25 years. All my career advances have been both exciting and challenging and I have had the pleasure to work with many influential people who have helped me shape my career over the years.

Obviously Adam Olins must get a mention who, as well as remaining BerryWorld md, started to take over the group role from Laurence Olins - a worthy successor and mentor. We must not forget that “one man doesn’t make a team” and individual success must also be credited to those around you. I can certainly say this for the teams I have led over the years.

Have you been able to travel with your job? Any memorable trips?

I travel thousands of miles a year, visiting key suppliers all over the globe. All trips are memorable as they cement relationships and move the business forward. Unfortunately, the five days stranded in Houston Texas due to the ash cloud earlier this year on the way back from Guatemala and Mexico sticks in the mind.

I met up with a guy in the oil and gas industry and after a couple of rounds of golf dodging the thunder storms and a few huge steaks, his boss “Lark” invited me to dinner. After proudly explaining about BerryWorld and its achievements, they then started to discuss a multi-billion dollar gas deal. It makes you realise how small the berry market is.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My spare time is now taken up with my young family - Victoria, five and Daniel, two - I must also mention the wife, Nikki, who also worked for firstly Poupart then BerryWorld on and off for the past 21 years, before becoming a full-time mum to our children in February this year. I love a round of golf but fitting it in to a young family’s life, coupled with the demands of soft fruit is not easy. I need Victoria and Daniel to take up the game so we can escape more often.