Mudwalls Farms in Warwickshire, England has increased production of purple sprouting broccoli to 50 acres over the last three years. George Beach from the company said that over the years they have learned about different varieties and their timings.Beach explains that the production can be volatile, as it slows when it is cold and there can be periods when it is completely frosted and can't be harvested at all and other times when there is a surge in production, meaning some weeks it has high value and other times when the market is full.
"We have succeeded in giving our customers a high value product and are getting a more consistent price. We have also explored different packaging to make it more attractive and to add value as well as making it a better product for the consumer," explains Beach.
Purple sprouting broccoli has wide customer range, chefs, supermarkets, independent retailers as well as local pubs all want the product.
"Demand for the purple sprouting broccoli has increased over the years, this is because we are doing a better job with product. Traditionally producers packed it into a box and sold it on the wholesale market which devalued a great product. We decided to add our brand which seems to have worked. We want people to associate our brand with high quality products," explains Beach.
Mudwalls also do all the different kales and asparagus as well as many other products.
Purple sprouting broccoli is not a niche product any more but not quite mainstream either. "It has been around for while, and is an excellent product, what Mudwalls Farms has done is add a new concept and 'relaunched' it in terms of better presentation," said Beach.One type of packaging presents the product like a bunch of flowers, this looks pretty and keeps moisture in the product without smothering it in packaging and loosing the fresh look.
For more information:
George Beach
Mudwalls Farms
Tel: 0044 1789 491078
Email: george@mudwallsfarm.co.uk
www.mudwallsfarm.co.uk