Yorkshire’s biggest Brussels sprouts producer, W Clappison Ltd, has been awarded the highest grade British Retail Consortium (BRC) Global Standard for food safety.
The Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFG) has been working with managing director John Clappison to help secure £35,000 of Yorkshire Forward funding. The money went towards improving the grading facilities and the company achieved the BRC certification six months later.
RFG’s commercial director John Hendy said: “We are delighted that W Clappison Ltd has achieved this top grade. It is well deserved and further highlights the potential that Yorkshire produce has. We will continue to work with producers on gaining this certification, as it reassures retailers and manufacturers of the capability and competence of a supplier, reducing the need for them to carry out their own audits.”
Clappison contacted RFG after a Tesco supplier insisted he should be BRC certified. He said: “Working with RFG has been very productive, and the implementation of the grading unit has been invaluable due to the sheer volume of sprouts we produce. Receiving support to achieve the BRC certification will bring huge benefits to our business, allowing us to supply retailers with stringent guidelines and expand our client base.”
W Clappison Ltd has been growing Brussels sprouts since 1976, on its 235-acre plot in Beverley, East Yorkshire. The company is responsible for four per cent of the UK’s total sprout production. The company has relatively few competitors in the specialist industry, estimated to be worth £54 million a year.
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