Tesco has listened to apple growers' pleas and pledged support for those whose crops have been damaged and, in some cases, decimated by recent hailstorms.
“We feel a great sympathy with our suppliers and shared our plans to improve their potential returns in a difficult year,” said senior buying manager Martin de la Fuente.
“Tesco has widened its specification for hail tolerance, which will allow more fruit for our customers, and it will be identified with special labelling explaining the situation,” added technical manager Shaun Doherty.
The first fruits of the English apple harvest have gone on sale this week in Tesco stores in Kent, Hereford and Ledbury.
Discovery apples have hit Kent shelves a fortnight earlier than last year, from two farms, while Worcestershire growers have flown in the face of the region’s disastrous weather conditions and managed to deliver fruit in store a week earlier than in 2006.
“Discovery was picked early Tuesday morning and delivered just after lunch to two Tesco stores, in Hereford and in Ledbury,” Tony Harding from Worldwide Fruit told freshinfo. Fruit was delivered by William Jackson from Man of Ross farm.
The Kent fruit was grown by John Adams of Beech Farm, Marden, a member of Mid Kent Growers, which markets through top-fruit specialist Norman Collett. The fruit is being graded and packed by Bardsley & Sons, which farms at Staplehurst. Robert Hinge, who farms at Sittingbourne and markets through Worldwide Fruit, is also supplying well ahead of schedule.
The Tesco buying team, which toured the orchards in Kent prior to harvesting, said it was not only delighted with the quality of the crop, but noted that the aroma of the fruit on the trees indicated full maturity.
Discovery and Worcester apples will be sold under Tesco’s Heritage range. The fruit will be on sale at Pembury, Lunsford Park and Gillingham branches in Kent, and will be available nationally from August 5.
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