Sainsbury's and long-term supplier Greenvale are a month into a new initiative to "revolutionise" potato delivery, and the results so far have been encouraging.

For this first time, 13 Greenvale farmers are harvesting their potatoes on the same morning as delivery to their nearest stores, as Sainsbury's attempts to take local sourcing to its logical extreme.

The farmers taking part in the pilot year of the initiative are in Norfolk, Somerset, Cheshire, Staffordshire, Carmarthenshire, Hereford and Cornwall. Already Sainsbury's is suitably impressed to announce the extension of the scheme in 2005.

Potato buyer Derek Benjamin said: "We tried the scheme last year in Shropshire and it was extremely successful. Customers told us they liked the idea of getting the potatoes from a very local farm, this way crops aren't mixed and local produce is available on the shelves of Sainsbury's down the road."

Greenvale has supplied Sainsbury's since the early 1970s, with a strong focus on early production. Its growers have responded enthusiastically to the opportunity to see their produce marketed locally. "I think this new scheme really shows commitment to making sure the best produce in the area stays within the region and I think it's great that local people can enjoy locally sourced produce," said Greenvale's Richard Griffith, the brainchild behind the scheme. "The farmers deliver the potatoes themselves, ensuring they arrive in perfect condition."

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