Grower Profiles

Freshgro Managing Director Martin Evans

A seven-year old co-operative, Freshgro is an example of strength in numbers. In 1999, ten farmers got together to form a dynamic cooperative, which stretches from Penzance to Yorkshire - 2,500 acres of carrots.

"We aim to be innovative," says Managing Director Martin Evans. He himself has a horticultural background, has been MD since the group's inception, and describes himself as 'the gunslinger' of the group! Their headquarters are at Bilsthorpe in Nottinghamshire, and they employ 30 people.

The carrots are sown from October to May, and lifted from late June through to late May. They also grow Chantenay carrots, which are lifted 52 weeks of the year. Added to this is an impressive array of other vegetables, which include parsnips, onions, runner beans, asparagus, salad potatoes, iceberg lettuce, a full range of speciality lettuce including lamb's lettuce, organic swede, cabbage and broccoli.

The market is changing, Evans observes, and therefore they have to change too. "Consumption patterns have changed, and we need to keep up with it. We need to do things differently, promote our products, control costs and be efficient."