West Sussex-based supplier The Summer Berry Company believed to be first to offer year-round commercial production of strawberries in UK
The Summer Berry Company has claimed a UK exclusive with the announcement that it will produce around 600,000 punnets of homegrown strawberries this winter for Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Marks & Spencer.
As the Fresh Produce Journal reported back in March 2024, it will be the first time the group has grown strawberries between November and March, and represents the first time a UK supplier has produced the fruit for 12 months of the year at commercial scale.
According to a report in The Sunday Times, three of the country’s biggest supermarkets are now preparing to buy and sell the fruit in their stores, meaning British strawberries will be available at Christmas and New Year for the first time ever.
The move marks the start of a major new trend in the UK berry market, which during the winter months traditionally relies on strawberry imports from countries to the south of the Mediterranean to meet demand.
The Summer Berry Company says it has achieved 12-month supply by using LEDs to create artificial sunlight on its farm, which is located near Chichester in West Sussex. These are powered by a new combined heat and power (CHP) plant.
Private equity firm Cibus Fund, which purchased the Summer Berry Company from Hall Hunter Partnership in 2019, has reportedly invested £6mn to pay for the new technology.
David Sanclement, chief executive of the Summer Berry Company, told the newspaper: “The British consumer will be eating strawberries [in winter]… The CO2 it generates from bringing a kilo of berries on a plane from Egypt is massive.
On top of that, we provide British customers with very tasty, excellent-quality strawberries but, with imported strawberries, the taste isn’t there.”
