A Kent farm is putting across the message that diversification is key in the recession following the success of its new product - apple crisps.
Perry Court Farm has been operating on its site in Ashford in Kent since 1949, growing more than 100 varieties of fruit and vegetables, focusing largely on apples and pears.
Charlie Fermor runs the business with his father. He bought new machinery and added the crisps to the Perry Court range. Fermor said: “While Perry Court isn’t the biggest farm in the region, we think we’re the best at what we do by far. While we’re not officially organic, we believe in using as few pesticides as possible because we know it affects both the fruit itself and the surrounding area.
“One of the biggest benefits of making the apple crisps is that we are able to use the fruits which we aren’t able to sell as grade-A product in shops. Ones with slightly flawed skin or below the typical size can all be used to make the crisps instead of previously when we had to throw them away causing wastage which helped nobody. So as well as being a product which people seem genuinely interested in buying, it is also a solution to a previous problem.
“I’m so glad that Apple Crisps are taking off because any time you introduce a new product to the market it’s a major gamble. This one started off almost as an experiment but thankfully it is one that has gone very right indeed. The idea is to roll the crisps out to a wider market now that we know there is demand for them out there.”
No comments yet