The Co-operative Backs British Farming

Released on: October 28, 2011, 4:28 pm
Author: The Co-operative Group
Industry: Food & Beverage

The Co-operative Group is championing British farming with a major in-store push featuring British growers on its fresh produce packaging.

Four Co-operative Group farmers: Lucy Mason, from Kent; Russell Armstrong, from Cambridgeshire; William Barnett, from Herefordshire; and Jack Parsons, from East Yorkshire, will be pictured on the packaging alongside other British growers who supply produce to almost 3,000 Co-operative food stores.

The new packaging, featuring a large Union Jack and photographs and comments from the British farmers who grow the fruit and vegetables for The Co-operative, will be rolled out over the next 12 months in line with the British season for each crop.

As the UK’s only supermarket to also run a major farming business, The Co-operative is backing British growers and emphasising the quality and freshness of its fruit and veg, and the care taken to get the best British products and seasonal food to its stores.

The Co-operative Farms, one of Britain’s largest farmers, which has farmed the land for more than 100 years, will play a key role in the rebrand of all its British primary produce packaging.

Christine Tacon, Managing Director of The Co-operative Farms, said: “The Co-operative has a long heritage in farming and we supply significant volumes of produce from our own farms to our food stores. Research told us that our customers trust British farmers to deliver great quality produce and they value our support of UK farming.

“This bold new packaging will highlight key British produce lines when they are available in store and demonstrate our continued commitment to British farming. It will also enable our customers to support these growers and also get the freshest and highest-quality products, when they are at their best – during the traditional British seasons.”

The launch will feature promotional lines of Cox’s apples, Conference pears, Maris Piper potatoes and onions, which are also grown on The Co-operative Farms’ estates in Tillington in Herefordshire, Highland Court in Kent, Coldham in Cambridgeshire and Goole in East Yorkshire.

A new QR (Quick Response) code will also appear on packs of pears, potatoes, apples and onions that will link to a website with more details on the product, the growers and recipes.

The new packaging will replace the “Grown By Us” range.

Additional Information:
The Co-operative Group is the UK’s largest mutual business, owned not by private shareholders but by almost six million consumers. It is the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer, the leading convenience store operator and a major financial services provider, operating The Co-operative Bank, Britannia and The Co-operative Insurance. Among its other businesses are the number one funeral services provider and Britain’s largest farming operation. As well as having clear financial and operational objectives, the Group has also set out its social and sustainability goals in its groundbreaking Ethical Plan, which specifies almost 50 commitments in these areas.

The Group operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets, employs more than 110,000 people and has an annual turnover of £13.7bn. Further information is available at www.co-operative.coop

Contact Information:
Kieran Howlett
Senior Public Relations Officer
The Co-operative Group
Tel: 0161 266 3592
Mob: 07739 657 585
kieran.howlett@co-operative.coop

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