Jersey Royals have been grown on the island for more than 100 years and each season the arrival of the distinctive, light-skinned spuds on the market is as eagerly anticipated as ever.
From planting the seed to carrying out the harvest, reinforcing the brand and shipping product to the UK, the Jersey Royal season has been managed by one company - Jersey Royal (Potato Marketing) Ltd - since 2004, and the brand has benefited from a singular approach, according to managing director Tom Binet. “The fact that we are just one organisation that co-ordinates the planting, growing, harvesting and marketing of the whole crop means that we can have a uniformity from the start to the end of the season,” he says. “Because it is all centralised, we can trace the product right back to the box of seed. We know that every kilo we send out from the island is as good as every other.”
Jersey is the most southerly island of the British Isles, located 100 miles south of mainland Britain and only 14 miles from France, with higher temperatures, longer sun hours and lighter soils than other UK production regions.
Many of the traditional Jersey farming techniques are still used on the island. The seed is stood in crates by hand, seaweed is used to fertilise the soil and the first liftings from fields on slopes near the coast - the côtils - are done by hand with a winch and cable.
“The Jersey Royals story, from start to finish, is unique. The standing of the seed by hand, planting and harvesting, the côtils so steep you can barely stand up in them, the south-facing slopes that get the early sunshine - this is what makes Jersey Royals different,” says Dan Bennett, who is involved in the marketing side of the business.
A Protected Designation of Origin prevents the variety from being grown anywhere other than Jersey and the first arrivals of Jersey Royals on the mainland herald the start of the UK new potato season.
It is not surprising then, that, with the product grown exclusively in one area, using labour-intensive production methods that can cost up to £1,500 an acre and arriving first on the market, Jersey Royals command premium prices - the first arrivals on the UK wholesale market this year made £2 a lb.
“Production is very labour intensive but, with the côtils as steep as they are and such a delicate product, there is no alternative but to do much of the work by hand, in much the same way as it has always been done,” says Bennett. “The way the product is prepared, grown and harvested, and the way it tastes, are the major factors that determine why Jersey Royals are the price they are.”
The total acreage managed by Jersey Royal (Potato Marketing) Ltd stands at 10,000 vergees (4,444 acres) and, with additional land from a small number of contract growers, the figure reaches 11,000 vergees (4,888 acres).
Seven 57-strong teams work the Jersey Royal fields across the island. “The teams are working at capacity and efficiency has improved more in the last three years than it did in the last 20 years,” says Binet. “I used to work the fields myself so I have an understanding of what the farmers are facing.”
“Our work standards are as high as they’ve ever been, if not better,” adds Ian Le Brun, who co-ordinates production. “The efficiency out there is second to none, it can’t get much better.”
But how have Jersey growers, who previously produced and exported volumes on an individual basis, responded to the size and scale of the singular Jersey Royal organisation? “The reaction has been mixed,” admits Le Brun. “Big is not always beautiful, but big in the rights hands is good if it’s controlled right. If you stand still in this industry, you get left behind, and gone are the days of passing the buck and giving it to someone else to do. If you can’t sell what you do, you change it or you get out. We can offer our customers something better as a centralised operation.”
The Jersey Royal season begins in November with planting under glass and the main crop is planted outdoors in January. Supply peaks in May, when up to 1,500 tonnes of Jersey Royals are exported each day and growers work at full capacity. “The first arrivals are absolutely crucial and, if they are not right, then consumers won’t continue to buy,” says Bennett.
But this season has not been without its challenges and, as is the case more often than not across the fresh produce industry, the weather is at the root of the issues. Plantings were initially delayed by rain and, although a period of unseasonably warm temperatures and sunshine in the second week of March allowed growers to catch up, the process stalled again last week after a spell of sleet and hail hit the island. Around 84 per cent of the export crop is now in the ground, according to Bennett, but the staggered plantings will result in a drawn-out season likely to stretch until the end of June.
The outdoor crop from the early côtils will be lifted from around April 1, but bulk liftings will be delayed until May 14.
“At this point last year, all the crop was in the ground, but then cold weather struck,” says Bennett. “This year, rain has made us behind on plantings, but the crop that is already in the ground has grown well. Better conditions are forecast for the next few days and it should not take long to plant the remaining seed and, if we leave the plastic on a bit longer, it will bring the crop forward.”
Around 30,000 to 35,000t of Jersey Royals will be produced in the 2006-07 season, compared to 31,000t last year and 38,000t in 2004.
“What did grow last year was very high quality and, as harvesting conditions were good, there was very little damage to the crop - in fact, the quality was probably some of the best we’ve seen,” says Simon Taylor, who works on the technical side of the firm. “So far there is potential for a repeat performance this year. Growth has been very even and very good, but it’s about getting the timings right. As soon as the crop is ready it needs to be shipped out and sold, or we’ll end up coming with the English crop.”
The Jersey Royal crop is about 30 per cent behind schedule, a delay that is mirrored in the rest of the UK crop, according to Binet, and this could see a shift in the new potato season.
The glasshouse crop has been available in Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer in limited volumes since March 8. “Plans for the bulk of the product going to the supermarkets will be made in a couple of weeks’ time when we have a clearer picture of how the season will pan out,” says Bennett.
It is important to have a presence on the shelves in the run-up to Easter, he adds, although the event is earlier than usual this year on April 8. “Easter is normally a good opportunity to move some volume and start warming up shoppers for the bulk of the crop,” he says.
The strong reputation of the brand is paramount, according to Bennett, but Jersey Royals is always looking to improve its offer. Advances have been made from the earliest stages of production. “A few years ago we sent seed to be cleaned up in Scotland and we are starting to see the benefits of that now,” says Taylor. “But we can’t really interfere any more than that. We grow one variety - International Kidney - and our aim is to maintain the best quality, maximise yield and keep production moving forward by looking at different growing techniques.”
The farming process is constantly monitored with a centralised IT system that keeps track of planting and sprays, the effect of weather patterns and the harvest operation.
Soil nutrients are checked every three years and, in order to help produce the best possible product, potato fields are rotated with Jersey growers of other products to counter the effects of mono-cropping and restore different nutrients to the soil.
Some 50 acres of conservation crops, which incorporate wild birds, beetle banks and barn owls and line up with state conservation areas across the island, are also grown in Jersey.
Major developments are under way this year as part of the post-harvest process, according to Taylor, and a new £5 million packhouse, intended to boost capacity and reduce traffic congestion on the island, will be built if planning permission can be obtained.
An ongoing trial that sees 10 per cent of the crop washed on the island before export is proving successful. “If the potatoes are washed as soon as they are harvested, it gives them a brighter appearance - we’ve found they look and keep better, which is important as consumers will always want that little bit extra,” says Taylor.
All the stops will be pulled out again this year to tempt shoppers to buy. The first bulk arrivals in mid-May will be welcomed with a £600,000 to £700,000 national TV and press campaign to coincide with planned promotions in all the major multiples. “This year we are going to put more focus on the first week of promotion - the more emphasis we put on the start, the better,” says Binet. “The season only lasts for 10 weeks so shoppers have the other 42 weeks of the year to forget about Jersey Royals. But the brand awareness is there and, when people are asked to name a brand of new potatoes, Jersey Royals is the answer.”
Publicity is an integral part of brand reinforcement and, while some messages are repeated every year, the activities need to keep moving forward, Binet says. “Part of the TV campaign will be what we used last year, based on provenance, and this year we’re going to add a 10-second advertisement on cookability, which means we will cover both the growing and cooking side.”
Shaun Rankin, who has been awarded a Michelin-star rating and named British Chef of the Year 2006, is set to be the face of the Jersey Royal campaign. “Shaun is very keen on local produce and he has a good reputation among UK food writers. He will develop a complete recipe book based around Jersey Royals for next year,” adds Binet.
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