"A bright future with increasing demand for UK-grown salads"

"Ten years ago, our customers supported the idea for local greenhouse production, thus we went in search of partners that could grow tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers for us. We had the skills to market the product, but not as growers. We quickly found three partners - RedStar, Rainbow and A&A Growers, and that gave us the impulse to start the project," Craig recalls. He considers the choice for Dutch growers and suppliers a logical one: "All high-tech greenhouses come from the Netherlands, and our production partners were the best in their crop; therefore, we are very happy with this collaboration."

"With the creation of more than 700 jobs, we received significant support from local government. The entire crop from Thanet Earth is sold in the UK, with 95% to major multiple retailers. The demand has increased, and meeting the scale of that demand is our next focus." Due to the cold month of May, the current greenhouse season had a late start, but Craig expects improvement in the month of June. "The demand is increasing significantly."

Asked whether it is lucrative to add more products to the range, Craig replies: "Given the strong demand for the current products, I do not expect new crops to be grown soon, but I do see greater variety in what’s available now on the market. There are many more speciality tomatoes these days which are driving a culture of innovation through the UK industry and raising the bar for quality. This is a great challenge to have.”