From an extensive range of winter produce, Kale is now proving to be a hit for AV Produce since it has undergone something of a makeover.

"It's nothing unique," said the company's Paul Graves, "but we looked at the way Kale has been presented in the past, and decided it was time to upgrade and make it a more attractive product by selling it pre-cut, in film.”

The pack features nutritional information and cooking suggestions making it easy to create new recipes, while MA film means that shelf life has been extended.

“The packs now have a shelf life of four days and although the 200g packs aren't resealable they are reusable and the perfect size for a family of four,” said Graves.

"Kale is quite a puffy product, and we're giving these packs a real push. They are currently on promotion at Somerfield which links Kale with shredded greens. An individual pack would cost 99p but if two packs are purchased then it costs £1.50. That particular promotion started in early November and will run for four weeks.”

AV Produce has been packing Kale in bags since March this year and has already seen good results from the initiative.

"The overall sales are promising, especially in the South West. It's a traditional product and people do know what to do with it, although admittedly it's not to everyone's taste. Whenever we've asked consumer panels they always describe it as cattle food because it has such a strong flavour, but things have moved on now. People should be bolder and mix it with other items and use it more. It's an attractive product and it does have a certain eye appeal."

Despite supplementing supplies with Spanish produce from Murcia in May and June, wherever possible AV Produce operates on a local basis and is part of the Produce in Kent initiative. "Wherever possible on winter lines we grow ourselves or give the growing to local producers," he says.

During the summer production of cauliflower takes place in Lincolnshire, but in the winter, production switches to Thanet in East Kent, an area that has similar growing conditions to Cornwall and a mild climate owing to the influence of the sea.

"We've been involved in the Kent logo for the past two to three years," says Graves. "It gives consumers confidence because the supplier is local and it states the area in which the produce is grown. People tend to see Kent as the Garden of England, and if consumers have a good experience with this product then they will visit the store and buy it again. What the logo gives is a mark of quality and an assurance.”

This year's hot summer has had an effect on the continuity of produce coming through, says Graves. “Planting conditions were very dry and so we had to use water on crops which wouldn't normally need watering in such as cauliflower and spring greens, which makes the process a lot more expensive.”

Spanish-grown broccoli has also felt the effects of the heat "Production in Lorca, Murcia also experienced very warm conditions in the summer and so planting was slightly erratic," Graves said. "Recently the region also experienced unusual and unexpected rain which put the crops back a week but in terms of quality there are no major issues.”

"As suppliers we have created a diverse range of products because we have to consider the fact that people aren't eating in the same patterns as they used to, but any product that adds reasonable value will add popularity to the range. We're basically looking at anything that adds value whether it is shredding or mixes or backing campaigns such as 5-a-day.