Farmer Profiles

Langmead Farms

Langmead Farms has developed over the last 20 years into one of the largest and most successful green and baby leaf salad growers in Europe, supplying Tesco since the start of the business. The company is privately owned by David Langmead and manages all aspects of the supply chain including growing, plant raising, harvesting and marketing. They operate in Southern England during summer months and the Murcia region of Spain during the winter, ensuring that customers are supplied with conventional and organic products for 365 days per year.

Langmead’s strive to understand their consumers and deliver products that exceed their expectation and meet their changing needs. Innovation has been key to Langmead’s continued success at the very cutting edge of what is one of the country’s traditional industries. Major innovations have been seen in every aspect of the growing process from developing new varieties through trials and evaluation, to harvesting, packaging and transportation. Each refinement or complete change is aimed at delivering the best service and best quality produce in the most efficient and cost effective way.

Langmead’s have grade ‘A’ BRC accreditation and are proactively involved with Tesco Natures Choice accreditation scheme. They are accredited by the Soil Association and are committed to conservation management of all aspects of the countryside.  A high level of product integrity is maintained through due diligence systems and food safety checks.

Seed Selection
Extensive seed trials are carried out continuously throughout the year by a team of dedicated agronomists. These trials involve growing new innovative varieties and those with better qualities such as taste, flavour and colour. It also involves improving existing varieties in terms of suitability for growing in the soil type, suitability for the time of year and increased resistance to disease.

Soil Preparation
Every effort is made to ensure the soil is in prime condition by the responsible addition of fertilisers. There is also a programme of crop rotation with wheat every 2 years and annual soil tests each autumn. Once the crop has been harvested the bed is then disced and ploughed to ensure the quick removal of lettuce debris thus minimising the risk of disease.

Composting
Langmead’s own a composting facility which is fully licensed by the Environment agency. Sustainable local partnerships have been built with customers and local green waste producers. In essence, composting accelerates and facilitates natural processes to reconnect healthy soil with healthy plants, and thereby, healthy people with a healthy environment.

Planting
Each batch of seed has its own unique number and sow date. This ensures traceability which is maintained throughout the whole supply chain from drilling and planting to harvesting, cooling and despatch. Bed formers are used to prepare the beds for mechanical planting and ensure the correct density of plants is achieved.
 
Growing
Good establishment is vital so once the young lettuces are in the ground they are irrigated, weather depending, normally every other day for the first week and, once established, the plants will then be watered every 3 to 5 days as required. After 3 weeks or so, the crops will then be hoed which aerates the soil and breaks up any compaction in the beds allowing the roots to grow deeper.
 
Harvesting and Packing
There are 2 harvests per year, which in the UK runs from May to October and in Spain from October to May. All the crops are hand-selected, graded and packaged in the field to maintain excellent quality and then delivered to the cooling and distribution centre. Machinery innovations include triple efficiency machinery and foreign body removal techniques. Unwashed baby leaf products are packed in the ‘Dry Care Factory’ using industry leading technology in foreign body removal and moisture control.
 
Grading and Quality
Maintaining the crops at the highest levels of quality is a continuous process at Langmead’s with quality assurance checks being carried out in all the stages in the plants life from seed to shelf. The QA team at Langmead’s ensures adherence to the high standard of Tesco’s specifications.
 
Final Inspection
Rigorous final checks are carried out to check the weight, temperature, shelf-life, packaging and labelling, appearance, taste and colour …. the question ‘Would I Buy It’ is asked of each product sampled before being sent to Tesco.