Last year, East of Scotland Growers and R&K Drysdale merged to become ESG Drysdale. The company is now one of the biggest vegetable suppliers in the UK, growing vegetables on 2000 hectares of land with 18 different growers.
"By merging, ESG Drysdale saw an opportunity to streamline the supply chain and create a fresher, more efficient process," said Nat Cowx, Brand and Marketing Manager at ESG Drysdale. "With fewer steps between farm and store, we have greater control over quality, reduce waste, and move faster to meet market demand. It's better for our retailers, better for our growers, and ultimately delivers a better product to customers."
Asparagus
Earlier this year, ESG Drysdale extended its supply of asparagus to retailer ASDA, which will supply 60 stores in both Scotland and the North of England. This follows a successful supply in 2024 to the Scottish stores. "Our unique micro-climate here on the east coast of Scotland, all the way from the Lothians to Aberdeenshire, allows our growers to grow great asparagus. We are currently the only Scottish commercial asparagus grower to supply to retail here in the UK, and we are excited to see our commercial asparagus sales grow year after year. With our recent expansion into southern depots, we're looking forward to bringing even more Scottish asparagus to markets further south in the future."
Image © Morrow Communications: L-R Andy Laing, ESG Drysdale Commercial Director | Jonathan Wood, Specialist Buyer at Asda | Rob Stockwell, ESG Drysdale member grower | Alex MacArthur, ESG Drysdale National Account Manager.
Brassicas
ESG Drysdale is now in the first weeks of harvesting Scottish broccoli and cauliflower (including organic), and they have also started with pointed and savoy cabbage. The next crops to be harvested will be white and red cabbage, sprouts, swede, and leeks.
Image @ESG Drysdale
"Although it has been incredibly dry over the last few months, we are used to extreme weather changes and have plans in place to deal with the seasonal fluctuations. We have state-of-the-art irrigation systems, which we have been using to irrigate directly through the planters when planting, which helps to establish healthy crops at the earliest possible stage, giving them the best chance to succeed. Most of our growers also have or have access to reservoirs and boreholes. We are also very lucky in Scotland to be able to access water directly from our rivers and burns. The type of crops we grow enjoys the consistent climate that the east coast of Scotland gives us."
For more information:
Nat Cowx
ESG Drysdale
Tel: +44 1368 830 448
[email protected]
www.esgdrysdale.co.uk