Scottish berry grower and supplier, Angus Soft Fruits has triumphed at this year’s Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) Fresh Awards (Thursday 6th June) at The Pavilion in London, winning the coveted Foodservice Supplier of the Year Award.
Hosted by former English international cricketer Graeme Swan, the awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of individuals and businesses working in the UK fresh produce industry, with a focus on innovation, creativity, CSR, sustainability and employee welfare.
Named Foodservice Supplier of the Year, Angus Soft Fruits was recognised for its rapid growth in the “out-of-home” sector, which encompasses foodservice and wholesale customer outlets, achieving almost 100 per cent growth year on year (2017 / 2018).
Lochy Porter, Chairman of Angus Soft Fruits, said: “Our impressive growth in the foodservice sector is down to our new strategic priorities, which include investing in our brands Angus Select, AVA™ Berries and Good Natured, developing long term collaborative partnerships with key customers, tailoring our procurement process to food service requirements, streamlining our operational process and resourcing our team with industry experts.
“As growers and breeders of new varieties of berries we are always looking to improve ourselves. Our AVA™ Breeding Programme focuses on creating new varieties of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries that are sweeter, last longer, look incredible and produce a strong yield for our growers. To win the prestigious Foodservice Supplier of the Year Award is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our staff and suppliers who are all engaged with our mission; to deliver great tasting berries that will delight our customers each and every day. We are incredibly proud of our achievements this year and we are excited to grow the out-of-home berry market even more.”
Liz Wood from Fresh Direct said: “We’ve been working with Angus Soft Fruits for over 5 years now and have always been impressed by their innovative approach and the quality of their produce. It is clear how hard the team works to continuously improve, and the success of their Breeding Programme is evidence of that. They are always developing new varieties of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries that are sweeter, last longer and look incredible. These are all qualities that are incredibly important to our customers and I don’t believe there is anyone more deserving of this award than Angus Soft Fruits.”
