Heveco Mushrooms' managing director Mark Howarth has announced plans to substantially boost volumes at the company's West Sussex farm with aims to be totally self sufficient by 2007.

By leasing additional adjacent capacity at Abingworth Howarth expects capacity will increase from 190,000 lbs a week to more than 250,000 lbs to come on stream by the middle of July.

The farm will continue to specialise in closed white cup mushrooms with a selection of baby buttons and white flats. The grading, packing and preparation of sliced product will continue to take place at Thakeham where product will be supplied to customers loose, labelled or in a range of shrink wrapped punnets.

'We have other plans in the pipeline, which will mean that we will be able to supply our customers entirely with UK mushrooms in four years time,' said Howarth. 'We regard it as making a significant contribution to the well being of the horticultural industry.' Heveco Mushrooms is the UK arm of European producer groups Holding Heveco BV. This latest expansion brings the home-grown proportion of Heveco's portfolio to 60 per cent.

Topics