UK onions are returning to retail shelves in force this week and one East Anglian grower has announced it is back in full swing with British product.
Stourgarden is welcoming the full return of UKonions into its supply for Tesco stores nationwide.Commercial manager at Stourgarden, George Rix, indicated that after a very challenging season in 2012, the early indications are that 2013 will be much better in terms of quality.
He said: “We are delighted to start with the supply of new season alliums into Tesco and draw a line under 2012. After a difficult start to planting in early spring, conditions over the past couple of months have turned in our favour and allowed us to start harvesting what is looking like a great quality crop. While our expectation this year is for a good strong supply across red, brown and our Pink Rosanna lines, we are still airing with slight caution until the full acreage is out of the ground and in the sheds.”
The grower-packer produces and packs some 40,000 tonnes of onions a year and has capacity at its facility to handle 500,000 cases across different packaging formats a week.
Meanwhile, Stourgarden’s customer Tesco is also keen to get moving with UK-grown supplies. Onion buyer Emma Williams said: “Onions are a key part of the produce offer with one of the highest customer penetrations and availability throughout all of our store formats… I see the coming season as one which can be used to further drive awareness as to the versatility of the product and uniqueness of the British offer.We look forward to working with our supply base to drive the category forward in the coming months.”
