Soloberry Limited, launched on 1st December 2017 as the rebranded business name of CPM Retail Ltd in the UK. With the aim to align the UK based business with that of its model in Spain, Soloberry S.L. The Spanish company was formed in 2013 to satisfy the needs of grower partners to have direct links to a business who could support their sales growth in UK and across Europe.
CPM Retail Ltd began supplying UK supermarkets in 2008 as part of the AG Thames Group. Soloberry is a renowned supplier of berries and stone fruit worldwide, with a dedicated team who are passionate about the health and well-being of future generations. The company holds leading partnerships in production and sales across Europe and North Africa and expanding into Asia, South America and Eastern Europe. They are all about #berriesforhealth and helping make people happier and healthier through our products.
"This is our fourth visit to Asia Fruit Logistica and the second as an exhibitor," explains Rachel Montague-Ebbs, Group Head of Brand and Communications. "The first time we attended was to understand the Asian market and learn more at Asiafruit Congress and this provided us a lot of insight into the trends in the region. Our first stand was as Soloberry S.L focusing on our Spanish and Moroccan berry offer. This year we attend as Soloberry – our joint brand for all of our supply regions and we are keen to offer the very best in berries and stonefruit to customers around Asia."
"We can offer strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and stone fruit to customers across Asia. Obviously there are some restrictions due to trade deals and protocols so we are looking to develop long term relationships whilst trade deals are put in place. We are looking for customers who want branded product; our Soloberry name and logo is trademarked in Europe and key countries in Asia. We also have the opportunity to bring new customers directly to the fields of our growing partners and of our own farms to be able to guarantee the traceability and provenance of the products.
Growing berries in Asia is of interest to Soloberry. "We know that China is an attractive location for growing, we see more farms emerging there for production as well as breeding and development. The same can be said in India, there is a demand for locally grown product and there are many regions that grow strawberries for example, very well. In many areas it is more cost effective and also a good marketing tool to have local production going to local markets but they need companies like ours with expertise in how to achieve this. Labour is a concern for us in the UK, obviously and with a desire to grow our sales into Asia, having local production would be a benefit for us. Our history is in supply in the UK and we are proud to be strawberry growers here as our farming business, Berries Direct Farming. The UK still remains attractive to us as producers but it does have its challenges."
Soloberry has its own embedded food safety protocols across all farming and packhouse operations using the standards of its major European retail clients as a basis.
"We have numerous contacts we have built up in key importing areas. At this time we are not looking to restrict our involvement but we are looking to have trusted partners in those key areas for the future and we are open to meeting people at Asia Fruit Logisitca – Hall 3b/G55."
For more information:
Rachel Montague-Ebbs
Soloberry
rachelm@soloberry.comTel: +44 1322 643022/ +44 7918741003