Farmer Profiles

Branston Limited

Branston Limited has been a Tesco fresh potato supplier since 1989, and from humble beginnings the business has grown to become Tesco’s largest supplier of fresh potatoes. The business now supplies Tesco year-round from packhouses in Lincolnshire, Somerset and Perthshire alongside seasonal packing in the traditional early potato growing areas of Cornwall, Suffolk and Pembrokeshire.

To encourage local supply, each packing station has dedicated local potato producers organised into Producer Groups. Altogether these Producer Groups comprise 131 growers with a combined potato area of almost 6,000 hectares (ha).

Growing with TNC Gold

Over the past ten years Branston has played an important role in the development of Tesco Nature’s Choice. From the outset, it was clear that many suppliers needed recognition for their high standard of environmental management and social responsibility. Tesco Nature’s Choice brought this together in the form of a farm audit and an approved potato production protocol. Following the audit many of our suppliers have reached the highest level of accreditation at Gold level:

Joe Button, Michealstow, Bodmin, Cornwall

Joe has been supplying potatoes to the Branston Somerset packhouse for the past five years and has expanded his production into early baker, salad, new and storage potato crops. A mixed farm of 240 ha, he also runs both pig and beef enterprises and other arable crops include wheat and barley. Many of the potatoes are grown on rented fields to enable the best selection of soils, and facilities on the farm have recently been improved by substantial investment in a new box store and grading facilities.

As Joe says, “Tesco Nature’s Choice has improved our management. Our farm conservation plan gives us a real opportunity to improve wildlife habitats which include creating ponds, and wild bird buffer strips. Without Branston, the South West would be without a potato packer”. Joe hopes to increase his potato area in the years ahead and invest in further storage.

Jamie Pullen, Perrins Hill, Yeovil, Somerset

Located just five miles from the Branston Somerset packhouse, Jamie’s family has been growing potatoes for over 50 years. A mixed farm of 410 ha, including cereals and cider orchards, the 80 ha of maincrop potatoes are the main enterprise with capacity for over 3,500 tonnes of box storage. The main variety grown is Estima which produces a high percentage of bakers and can be stored in excellent condition for up to nine months.

Tesco Nature’s Choice has been fully adopted and Jamie believes that the scheme has helped him keep ahead of many changes in legislation. Soil conservation is an important issue locally and using tied ridges and aqua wheel to improve water infiltration and reduce run-off has benefited both the potato crop and the environment.

Bill Kemble, Wantisden Hall Farms, Woodbridge, Suffolk

Located on the Suffolk coast with the capacity to grade and pack early potatoes for Tesco on farm, Bill says “Getting awarded Tesco Nature’s Choice Gold was great recognition for the many years work put into conservation projects at Wantisden Hall Farms. These projects include over 20 ha of new ponds which have been sympathetically stocked with native shrubs and fish. Not only do these ponds support wildlife, they enable us to catch winter rainfall and abstract for summer irrigation. This area is ideal for a wide range of early vegetables and growing and packing of early potatoes for supply to Tesco. We aim for maximum freshness – we try to pack on the day of harvest even though sometimes this means harvesters getting out into the fields at five o’clock in the morning! Our main early variety is Maris Piper but we’re also trying Piccolo which has been selected for its high tuber numbers and great flavour”.

John Ward, Welton Cliff, Lincoln

John’s farming business has been growing potatoes on the Lincolnshire limestone north of Lincoln for many years, originally marketing into the traditional wholesale markets and marketing through the Branston Lincoln site when they first started supplying Tesco.

The farms cover 900 ha, all arable apart from a duck breeding enterprise. The potato area accounts for 70 ha consisting of Saxon, Marfona and Desiree with 2,500 tonnes stored on farm and the remainder being used off the field in late summer.

“Over the last few years we have spent a substantial amount of time and money planting new woodland and hedgerows. The farms are being managed with wildlife in mind and we are now seeing a significant increase in some traditional birds of this area such as the grey partridge. Tesco Nature’s Choice is most definitely encouraging us to do more of the same”.

Alistair McLaren, Classlochie Farm, Kinross

Classlochie Farm totals 136 ha and has been growing potatoes for over 50 years. Alistair himself has been targeting the Tesco packing market for over 15 years, supplying the Branston Scotland site at Abernethy with over 700 tonnes of baking potatoes annually.

20 miles from the Branston Scotland Packhouse, and only a few hundred yards from the popular Vane Farm, which is an RSPB nature reserve, Alistair McLaren does his utmost to ensure his mixed farming practices complement the rich wildlife surroundings, “Rural stewardship schemes, Nature’s Choice and the RSPB have all helped develop wildlife and conservation enhancement, which is an integral part of the farm business. In recent years, we’ve planted over 10,000 indigenous trees and created three ponds to encourage bird and aquatic life. To achieve the Gold status for Nature’s Choice was very rewarding”.

Classlochie is also the first farm in the Kinross area to have been “risk assessed” for school visits through the countryside initiative, the Royal Highland Education Trust.

Since the introduction of integrated farm management at Classlochie, Alistair’s potato production has actually decreased. This came about as a result of carefully assessing crop inputs, land selection, crop rotation and the need to meet the high standard demanded by Tesco customers.