Latest news with #SummerBerryCompany
Asharq Al-Awsat
01-07-2025
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Wimbledon's Strawberry Champion Faces Rivals for Its Crown
It may be the top seed at Wimbledon but even the reigning king of strawberries knows the crown sits lightly. The Malling Centenary berry has reigned supreme since being introduced at The Championships in 2016, sweetening summer rituals and picnics alike at the All England Club. Yet in the fields and labs, a new crop of challengers is ripening. In the high-stakes world of soft fruit supremacy, flavor, firmness and fame are all up for grabs. The Malling Centenary variety is known for its sweetness, "heart-shaped" size, and quality of taste, according to Joe Furber, Food and Drinks Operations Manager at Wimbledon. Weeks of sunshine and a "bumper crop" in the UK have helped produce an excess of strawberries, meaning Furber expects around 2.5 million of them, or 5,000 tons, alongside 13,000 liters of cream to be consumed during the Wimbledon fortnight. This year, a portion of 10 Malling Centenary strawberries with cream costs two pounds and seventy pence ($3.70) after the first price increase (20 pence) since 2010. The strawberries are grown in polytunnels by Hugh Lowe Farms, a family-owned business in Kent, just 31 miles from the All England Club, picked and delivered each morning at 8:30am. "Their best time aligns perfectly with the championships, which is quite fortuitous, which is a big part of why they were chosen," Furber said. But like every champion, it cannot afford to rest on its laurels as contenders lurk to seize the strawberry crown. The Summer Berry Company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, told Reuters the variety landscape is becoming increasingly competitive and that it has reduced its production of Malling Centenary over the years. "I love Malling Centenary, I'm in no way saying it's a bad variety. I'm just saying that there's a new generation of varieties we're bringing to the market," Commercial Director Jack Darnes said. Summer Berry, which uses robotics and artificial intelligence technology to help with the harvesting process, grows varieties including Fandango, Karima and Florice, which Darnes said are larger and sweeter. "With Malling Centenary three or four days later they're still okay, with the new varieties you can survive even longer - six to seven days. So it's reducing waste, it's a better product for the end consumer," he said. "We hope one day there's going to be a new summer berry variety that people at Wimbledon are going to be consuming even better than Malling Centenary," he added. Malling Centenary does not suffer the same fate as its predecessor, the Elsanta Variety, which, according to Darnes, is no longer produced in the UK. The UK produces 120,000 tons of strawberries each year, generating retail sales of up to 700 million pounds, said Darnes. The global market is estimated at about 10,000,000 tons, with a value of $20 billion, according to German agriculture company Bayer.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sweeter strawberries after 'perfect' spring
Record-breaking spring sunshine and "perfect" conditions are producing larger and sweeter strawberries, says one West Sussex grower. Provisional Met Office figures show the UK experienced its warmest spring on record and its driest in over half a century in 2025. Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said daytime sunshine and cooler nights in March, April and May "positively influenced our growing conditions". The company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, uses reservoirs to help protect against droughts. Mr Pinkosz said: "What we have observed this year is the perfect conditions to develop ideal berries, which are bigger, tastier, and with better shelf life." The Summer Berry Company has 300 acres of polytunnels, according to Mr Pinkosz. The company also has 62 acres of glasshouses for producing a winter crop of the fruit, and says it supplies most major UK retailers. Despite the bumper 2025 crop, Mr Pinkosz warned that climate change "potentially has a negative impact on growing fruit". "No fruit, in my experience, likes too hot conditions or too wet conditions," he said. The company has, however, designed new varieties of strawberry, which it hopes will allow it to keep producing berries in harsher conditions. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. UK's spring was warmest on record, Met Office says Pleas to 'use water wisely' to avoid hosepipe ban Farmer's yield concerns after no 'meaningful rain' 'Difficult year' for farmers as annual show begins Met Office
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Sweeter strawberries after 'perfect' spring
Record-breaking spring sunshine and "perfect" conditions are producing larger and sweeter strawberries, says one West Sussex grower. Provisional Met Office figures show the UK experienced its warmest spring on record and its driest in over half a century in 2025. Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said daytime sunshine and cooler nights in March, April and May "positively influenced our growing conditions". The company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, uses reservoirs to help protect against droughts. Mr Pinkosz said: "What we have observed this year is the perfect conditions to develop ideal berries, which are bigger, tastier, and with better shelf life." The Summer Berry Company has 300 acres of polytunnels, according to Mr Pinkosz. The company also has 62 acres of glasshouses for producing a winter crop of the fruit, and says it supplies most major UK retailers. Despite the bumper 2025 crop, Mr Pinkosz warned that climate change "potentially has a negative impact on growing fruit". "No fruit, in my experience, likes too hot conditions or too wet conditions," he said. The company has, however, designed new varieties of strawberry, which it hopes will allow it to keep producing berries in harsher conditions. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. UK's spring was warmest on record, Met Office says Pleas to 'use water wisely' to avoid hosepipe ban Farmer's yield concerns after no 'meaningful rain' 'Difficult year' for farmers as annual show begins Met Office
BBC News
08-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Chichester grower sees larger strawberries after 'perfect' spring
Record-breaking spring sunshine and "perfect" conditions are producing larger and sweeter strawberries, says one West Sussex Met Office figures show the UK experienced its warmest spring on record and its driest in over half a century in Pinkosz, operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said daytime sunshine and cooler nights in March, April and May "positively influenced our growing conditions".The company, based at Groves Farm near Chichester, uses reservoirs to help protect against droughts. Mr Pinkosz said: "What we have observed this year is the perfect conditions to develop ideal berries, which are bigger, tastier, and with better shelf life."The Summer Berry Company has 300 acres of polytunnels, according to Mr company also has 62 acres of glasshouses for producing a winter crop of the fruit, and says it supplies most major UK the bumper 2025 crop, Mr Pinkosz warned that climate change "potentially has a negative impact on growing fruit"."No fruit, in my experience, likes too hot conditions or too wet conditions," he company has, however, designed new varieties of strawberry, which it hopes will allow it to keep producing berries in harsher conditions.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
‘We've never seen anything like it': Farmers astounded by strawberries hitting UK supermarkets this summer
Giant strawberries that 'cannot fit in your mouth' are set to hit UK supermarket shelves this summer, fruit farmers said. Summer Berry Company operations director Bartosz Pinkosz said strawberries grown at its farm in Colworth, West Sussex, were 20 per cent larger than normal due to unusual weather patterns. It comes after the Met Office said April was the UK's sunniest since records began in 1910, with a total of 228.9 sunshine hours. Mr Pinkosz said he had 'never seen anything like it'. 'We had the darkest January and February since the 70s, but then the brightest March and April since 1910. 'From March onwards, it was really kind of perfect for tunnel strawberries. The berries are between 10 per cent and 20 per cent larger,' he told The Guardian. Amelia McLean, director of Kent -based Hugh Lowe Farms, added: 'This year's weather has already produced berries that not only look fantastic but are also sweet and full of flavour.' Typically, strawberry season starts in May and peaks around June or July, but the recent sunny spells mean the British-grown fruit will be in supermarkets sooner. They take anywhere from six to 11 months until they are ready to pick, depending on whether they are grown in a glasshouse or tunnel. Strawberries are sweeter when days are bright and nights are cool, which allows the fruit to rest overnight and use more plentiful energy gained during the day to produce natural sugars. Nick Marston, chair of British Berry Growers, said: 'This year's early season strawberries are looking exceptional in both flavour and form. 'The warm weather, high light levels, and active pollination have come together beautifully. We're expecting a strong yield and outstanding taste quality this season.' Last year, The Summer Berry Company, together with another grower, Wicks Farm - both based in West Sussex - became the first UK growers to produce commercial quantities of strawberries all year long. They produced 38 tonnes of the fruit for the festive period, an increase of 40 per cent on the same period in 2023.
