BA World Cargo's Gerry Mundy presents JP's first award of the evening, Importer of the Year

JP scoops top accolade

The Tesco Overall Produce Trader of the Year award went to JP Fruit.

JP’s marketing manager Dickon Poole said: “We entered one award and were extremely pleased to win that but we were very surprised to win the second one, which was pretty obvious, I think, when our trading director Tony Gardner went up to collect it [from Tesco head of produce Peter Durose] and didn’t have a speech prepared! It is a great testament to all the hard work that everyone at JP puts in every day and we are all very proud of this achievement.”

To gain entry to the elite award, JP Fruit had earlier been crowned British Airways World Cargo Importer of the Year.

Poole said: “Everybody here is over the moon about it. We are trying to raise the profile of JP Fruit in everything we are doing and I’ve been asked to work on our corporate strategy, in particular.

“Everyone is working really hard and I know our Jamaican bosses will be very pleased.”