A barbecue for staff and suppliers was laid on at the culmination of a two day internal conference held at Grantham, filled with presentations and hard-hitting, round-table discussions which according to Sudhir Dhanani, managing director provided some valuable suggestions.

EFP pioneered the development of crops such as asparagus from Peru and baby sweetcorn from Thailand over 17 ago. Today it handles over 120 different lines annually worth more than £30 million.

EFP's new premises, purchased from vegetable packer, Elgro, have undergone a complete transformation. The facility is equipped to select, grade, prepack and quality check over 120 lines of produce, including organics, sourced from five continents.

The company moved from its previous premises the other side of the Lincolnshire village last October, which Dhanani concedes ' had reached bursting point'.

In tripling capacity, the original shell of the buildings, once used to grade cauliflower and pack onions remains - but here the similarity ends.

Backing the physical side of the operation there has also been recruitment to match the new role. John Dutton, previously with Geest, has joined the board as a non executive chairman.

Peter Jones, who worked for Marks & Spencer has become consultant chief technologist. Mandeep Grewall is technical manager, supported by Rhona Grewall as high-care technician. The four agronomists already recruited are being expanded to a team of six. Including its administrative offices based at West Drayton near Heathrow Airport, EFP now employs over 300 people.

Dhanani stressed 'Fruit and vegetable crops are far more than just exports in many countries. They underpin whole communities, and in many cases allow them to exist in very difficult conditions'.

He told the conference: ' I can assure you that with your help we will be exploring new ideas and concepts to create a wider range of specialist produce and packs we know our customers want. We will do everything possible to maximise your returns.' How to achieve these goals was a constant theme in a packed agenda set against a background of multiples demanding higher levels of service from category suppliers, equally interested in cutting costs along the distribution chain.

Other potential breakthroughs could come with the advance of technology to control the perishable nature of produce.

New 'smart bag technology' was presented by manufacturers Long Life. John Douglas revealed that trials of the packs which establish their own atmosphere had shown that salads, soft fruit and stone fruit could be kept for between 10 and 12 weeks.

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