Peloton Produce grows cauliflower in both Lincolnshire and Cornwall, Nigel Clare from the company said that at the moment all was going well with demand being in line with sales, due to colder climatic conditions both in Cornwall and Lincolnshire over the past 7 days.
"At the end of last year and the start of this year, sales were down and generally have remained down on previous years. Our production acreage was similar to previous years with a slight increase in acreage, however, it is fair to say that this year yields have been higher by circa 6/7%, combined with a decline in sales has meant we have been able to export some cauliflower over the past 3 months. This has relatively worked well and is something we will be looking to do again if sales remain lower than expected."
Generally, quality and size have been reasonable for UK production, "We exported sizes 12-15cm curds as a count 8 which are slightly smaller than those you see in France or Spain, but our export was received favourably."
Peloton has a 12-month supply of cauliflower from both Lincolnshire and Cornwall. "We now have more varieties available to us throughout the winter months and with more favourable conditions, we are seeing that these varieties can grow favourably with the different conditions caused by the weather and temperature fluctuations. That said, cauliflower grows above ground so if we see extreme temperatures of -10 or -11 they won't survive."
For more information:
Nigel Clare
Peloton Produce
Tel: +44 1945 780222
[email protected]
www.pelotonproduce.co.uk