Marks & Spencer salad buyer Peter Ireland and salad technologist Dr Simon Coupe opened Flavourfresh Salads’ new one-hectare glass block in Southport, Lancashire.
The new £650,000 block incorporates modern, energy-saving features such as thermal screens and sealed gutters, with wide glass and narrow gutters providing maximum light penetration and hanging gutters allowing for maximum ergonomic work practices. Ireland described the new building as very high quality.
“M&S has had a long-standing relationship with Flavourfresh Salads and its nurseries, which supply tomatoes and lettuce to us through Bakkavor-owned Melrow Salads,” said Ireland. “This relationship dates back to the 1960s, when Ray Jeffs of LO Jeffs started supplying salads to M&S from local growers and airfreighted tomatoes from the Canary Islands during the winter.”
LO Jeffs was bought out by Northern Foods, who in turn sold the glasshouse division to Geest - now Bakkavor.
LO Jeffs and salad innovation for M&S have always gone hand in hand, according to Ireland, including development of iceberg lettuce, Gardeners’ Delight tomatoes, spinach under glass, vacuum-cooling for leaf products and avocado-ripening techniques, among others.
Ireland paid tribute at the glass block opening to the directors who have funded the company’s changes and expansion, and also to managing director Mick Fradsham, the management team and the nursery staff.
“The quality of tomatoes grown in this new block is evident, including Piccolo cherry and Baby Sweetheart tomatoes,” said Ireland and Coupe. “We are looking forward to the introduction of Santini on-the-vine and Tomatoberry, to be launched by Flavourfresh in time for British tomato week in mid-May.”
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