That time is here again: the two months when UK consumers go mad over one particular vegetable. UK asparagus has enjoyed consecutively good seasons for many years and, as part of the British Asparagus Growers’ Group, producers are once again ready to push the boundaries by enticing more consumers to buy British this season.
As the UK asparagus PR campaign, run by Pam Lloyd PR, reaches its sixth year, consumers are buying more and more of the vegetable. According to TNS data records, penetration into UK households for the 12 weeks to June 17, 2007, increased by two per cent on 2006, reaching 14.3 per cent. This equates to a 16 per cent increase in the number of consumers buying asparagus, and market volume increased by 24.1 per cent.
This year, the campaign, with the support of the British Asparagus Growers’ Association (AGA), will focus on a new target audience and promote the versatility and convenience of the vegetable.
“The campaign talks to everyone, encouraging them to try British asparagus if they haven’t bought it before, or to buy more frequently and get more adventurous if they buy it already,” explains Pam Lloyd of the PR consultancy. “But this year we have taken young males as a special focus, in an attempt to encourage them to get into the kitchen and get cooking with asparagus.
“The campaign always targets a broad cross section of consumers and, as a result, we have seen increasing numbers of households buying into asparagus year on year. In the 2007 season, 14.3 per cent of households bought asparagus, compared to only 3.1 per cent in 2002.”
Mack’s James Hallett, this year’s chair of the British Asparagus Growers’ Group, which funds the PR campaign, is confident that consumption of the vegetable will increase further this season. “Consumption is likely to increase again this year, assuming the campaign is successful and the supply is available, which is dependent on the weather being kind to the crop,” he says. “Consistent penetration and volume growth over the past five years implies that the profile of the product is changing as its place in the market begins to mature.”
And as the market matures, so does production. Producer Philip Owen of Chapel Farm in Little Witley, Worcester, has had to change the way he farms to stay ahead of the game. “The way we farm asparagus has changed quite a lot,” he says. “We now use machines to plant and harvest the crop, and we have also been able, in recent years, to plant asparagus more densely, giving a greater yield. We also now have cold stores on site. Most of all, we have seen demand pick up, which has meant we have had to work harder to keep up with it.”
Keeping up with demand
Asparagus can be grown under polythene, which makes the soil artificially warmer, therefore allowing it to be ready in limited quantities earlier than usual, and this year saw asparagus produced in small amounts for the first time as early as February in Evesham. However, the bulk of the crop will be available when the main season gets underway at the start of May, and will then be in plentiful supply for seven to eight weeks.
Increased demand for the vegetable during, and indeed before, this period has led to growers investing time and money into the UK crop. Hallett maintains that growers are producing more in response to increased demand. “There is more asparagus in the ground this year, as growers have planted more each year in an attempt to keep pace with demand for British crop,” he says.
Gloucestershire-based Leaselow Farm Ltd has been growing asparagus for five years, and has 40 acres of land dedicated to the vegetable. The company started harvesting in the second week of April, and supplies Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Aldi, as well as The Co-op, farm shops and hotels. The company’s Martin Haines says that asparagus yield is on the up to meet demand. “The amount we produce has increased over the past five years. We have planted more acreage, which has obviously made a difference, but our knowledge also increases every year, as to how to harvest it more productively,” he explains. “We cut the asparagus above ground rather than the old way of cutting below the ground and, in recent years, we have learnt that although we need to leave something on the plants to fern for the following year, we don’t need to leave quite as much as we were doing in previous years, so this again has increased our productivity.”
Moving with the times is something that asparagus growers are keen to do in order to increase the business’s profitability. Owen has predicted that the farm will produce 55 tonnes of the Stewarts Purple, Backlim, Gijnlim and Guelph Millennium varieties, compared to 35t last season, due to a change of method. “We had 20 acres that were half-picked last year, hence the increase this time around,” he says. “The early hot weather last year meant the crop grew and was ready for harvest much earlier than usual. Our seasonal staff were not due to start work until the more traditional season, so we didn’t have enough hands on deck to actually harvest everything when it was ready.”
This year, the total acreage of asparagus grown in the UK is up by more than 500a, from 2,970a to 3,542a, and the AGA has predicted that this will equate to approximately 540t more than last season’s figure of 3,000t. But the AGA speculates that this figure could have been higher if it was not for the cold weather.
A frosty reception
The cold season has not been ideal for the UK asparagus crop, which thrives in the sun and needs mild nights to reach its full potential. And after a year of contrary weather in 2007, producers are praying for the sun to come out this year. “The asparagus yield this season is likely to be lower than last year due to the poor summer we had in 2007; the worst since records began,” says Hallett. “But 2007 yields were significantly up on those of the previous year, so this must be put in perspective.
“We have had such a cold March and April that the outdoor crop is not as far on as was expected for this time of year. It was -3°C in Lincolnshire one night in April - one of the big asparagus-growing counties. A small amount of asparagus grown under polythene was available in February and March. Some growers have started cutting outdoors, but growers feel it will be May before we are into full production.”
Owen maintains that the colder weather has put back the harvest date this year. “The crop is growing much more slowly than last year, so we may have a lower yield per acre, but that could all change,” he says. “Asparagus is so temperature-sensitive that if we have a really warm May, then the yield could shoot up again. It is a difficult crop to grow, but I love it, which is half the battle.”
Still a long way to go
Although the British asparagus season receives a certain amount of publicity, and seems to be well on its way to becoming a summer favourite among consumers, Hallett says there is a lot more work to be done. “Asparagus is not actually hugely popular in the UK, and that is what the campaign is about,” he says. “In the Netherlands and Germany, penetration while asparagus is in season is around 60 per cent, so we have got a four- to fivefold increase to achieve to keep pace with the continent.”
Retailer Waitrose sources its UK asparagus stock from Worcestershire, Sussex and Nottinghamshire, as well as selling regional asparagus in its regional stores in Cornwall, Kent, Cheshire, Suffolk, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and, this year, Scotland. The retailer says that its UK asparagus lines are gaining momentum each year. “Last year sales increased by nearly 30 per cent and attained a market share during May of nearly 20 per cent, and we expect a similar growth pattern this year,” says a Waitrose spokesperson. “UK asparagus represents approximately a third of our annual asparagus sales. Our variety selection for the future is based on ones that can extend the season and provide better texture and flavour. The majority of varieties planted are Gijnlim in the early season and Backlim in the late. Crimson asparagus is also an increasingly important part of the category, as a salad variety that does not require cooking and has the taste of fresh garden peas.”
The British Asparagus Growers’ Group believes that UK consumers think of asparagus as an affordable luxury, so while it promotes the vegetable further, it needs to ensure that the vegetable maintains its reputation for high quality.
“The reputation of British asparagus has been built on quality and freshness, and any product that does not reach the required standard for any reason will not reach the consumer,” states Hallett. “Asparagus crowns need warmth and sunshine to thrive, both of which are in short supply at the moment but, provided the weather picks up, the quality should be excellent as always.”
Despite the cold weather, growers are determined that the quality of the crop will be as high as ever this year, and will satisfy demand. “As far as we are concerned, demand is increasing year on year, and we expect 2008 to be no different,” says Haines. “As for the quality, the more traditional April temperatures will mean the crop has grown steadily and surely, meaning it will be top quality.”
As production costs increase and the labour shortage becomes an issue, growers are keen to work with supermarkets to ensure that they do not devalue the crop.
“The cost of producing asparagus is increasing every year,” says Owen. “We have seen 100 per cent rises in things like fuel and fertiliser, but retailers are only prepared to pay so much for a bundle of asparagus. Having said that, there is a huge demand for British asparagus during the short season, so the big retailers are more willing to negotiate on price.”
Owen, who has been growing asparagus since 1986 on 70a, says that finding labourers to pick asparagus is increasingly becoming an issue. “Because we didn’t have staff early enough last year we hired them earlier this year, but the colder weather has meant harvesting has started later. It is also difficult to find enough staff to actually do the job - we use seasonal workers from eastern Europe in addition to British staff, but they are becoming less available due to new government legislation.”
Moving on up
The British Asparagus Growers’ Group is betting on the asparagus campaign being even more successful than last year, and producers are striving to supply that demand. “We are encouraging additional growers and marketers to join the campaign, and to strengthen its impact and take it forward into the 2009 season and beyond,” reveals Hallett. “Any businesses which are involved with the industry, but not involved with the campaign, are very welcome to take part.”
This year will see the website - www.british-asparagus.co.uk - reveal a new look, with two mini movies under the Come on Guys section, to entice men to cook with asparagus, as well as a week of asparagus features on UKTV Food’s Market Kitchen, as part of various initiatives. The group kicked off the campaign and asparagus season last week, with an ‘asparagus run’ from Evesham to the House of Commons on St George’s Day, April 23.
“As the lifecycle of product matures and the campaign reaches its sixth season, plans are already in place to review and reinvent the promotion in keeping with the changing needs of the market,” maintains Lloyd, who will once again be organising the Asparagus Festival in Evesham this year, on May 26.
Haines believes he has found a winning formula in growing asparagus, and says it can only get better. “British asparagus has a unique taste and quality that is growing in popularity each year,” he says. “Consumers like the fact that the start of the season heralds the start of the British summer. The fact that it is so versatile and healthy also means it will always be in demand. And with our unreliable British summers, consumers know that they can eat it cold in salads if the weather is warm, or in soups and pasta dishes if the weather is cold - so it is an ideal ingredient.”
STEPAC SET TO XTEND PROFITS
StePac has launched its Xtend modified atmosphere/modified humidity (MA/MH) packaging for asparagus to enable UK suppliers to increase their profits.
By enabling coldstorage for up to 28 days with another three days of shelf life, Xtend for green asparagus allows UK suppliers to better control flow of produce to retail points of sale.
Packaging designs differ for white and green asparagus, but both minimise shrivelling, spear toughening and butt dehydration. Decay is prevented due to Xtend technology’s combined MA and condensation control (MH). Xtend for green asparagus preserves the green, glossy appearance of tips and minimises feathering, while Xtend for white asparagus inhibits browning.
By prolonging white asparagus’s coldstorage time up to 40 days (at 1-2°C) with an additional five days of quality shelf life (at 10°C), Xtend has been helping suppliers in Peru meet the rising demand for white asparagus in Europe for more than three years.
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