A decade of unbridled success at BerryWorld was rewarded last month with the Tesco Overall Produce Trader of the Year, as well as the Waitrose Primary Marketing Organisation of the Year at the inaugural Re:fresh Awards. “This award has given our whole team a huge boost and we are particularly proud as it is recognition of the levels of business excellence that have been achieved within BerryWorld,” says Vinson.
The pure financial facts take some beating. From a first-year turnover of £8 million, BerryWorld has grown into a £60m operation. The initial staff of seven has become 23, a staggering rise in per capita productivity that any fruit company would be happy to replicate. The company, which is jointly owned by Poupart Ltd, managing director Adam Olins and Vinson, who is also a grower, represents more than 40 growers worldwide, with 2,500 acres of fruit production.
“Twelve years ago, Adam and Laurence [Olins, md of Poupart] made an approach to me to form a joint venture company, bringing together Edward Vinson Ltd and Poupart, which was then owned by Hillsdown Holdings,” says Vinson. “At the time it was an offer I could not refuse and I have no regrets at all. I have worked in a number of scenes in the fruit industry and served on a lot of boards, but Poupart has been by far the most interesting I have been involved with and the most professional of people.”
Using the proven model of the previously formed OrchardWorld, BerryWorld was formed. And the 10 years of BerryWorld’s existence has, of course, coincided happily with the largest ever concerted growth spurt in consumption in the berry category.
From its inception as a supplier of predominantly British soft fruit, the company now offers a 12-month domestic and imported portfolio of 14 berries and currants. “Through the supermarkets, we have seen large increases in consumption for British soft fruit and soft fruit in general,” says Vinson. “One of the major changes for us has been the volume of overseas fruit, which is now roughly equivalent to British within our business. We are now a very strong 12-month supplier.” While strawberries and raspberries predictably top the list, Vinson singled out blueberries for specific mention, as a forte of the company.
Supplying leading UK retailers, BerryWorld provides technical and commercial support to its growers, helping the development of new varieties, better yields and stronger businesses. It provides a flexible distribution platform from strategically positioned grower-owned packhouses in the UK.
“Since that first press conference in 1994, we have grown into the largest independent marketer of berryfruit into the UK supermarket sector,” says Vinson. “We have always been totally commercially driven, which was refreshing to someone who had been involved with Co-ops for many years. Co-operatives tend to have problems defining their objectives. If one of your suppliers is actually not very good, but also a major shareholder, how do you sack him? We have not got that problem and have been able to focus on the best growers.”
Vinson pinpoints three areas that have particularly impacted on the success of the BerryWorld business in its formative years; its management team, its suppliers and its relationship with key customers.
“Adam impressed me from the first meeting and even as a young man had a grasp of the soft fruit business that was second to none,” says Vinson, who compared the vision and acumen of Olins to the younger Dougie Kemp. “He is very astute and can see trends well in advance. Tim Newton [the newest addition to the BerryWorld board] is one of the few technical people who is also commercial. Having the ability to see through highly technical problems in a commercial way is very important and almost unique.
“I have a profound respect for Poupart md Laurence Olins, who has made a great contribution to the company. Also David Gray, chairman of Argent Group [the present day owner of Poupart] who has huge experience in wider business and has made a big contribution to BerryWorld in a wider sense.”
Overall, he adds, the company has benefited from a joint “vision and commitment to drive a growing business forward in a quiet, relaxed and commercial management style and the dedication that underlines it”.
The second key driver has been “our policy to identify quality suppliers, build on their strengths and expand their businesses”, says Vinson. “Many have seen significant growth through their involvement with BerryWorld. They share our vision and the BerryWorld team spends a lot of time and effort helping to build our growers’ businesses.”
The third factor has been the decision to commit to strong, long-term relationships with customers. “We are very proactive. We have been involved with category management from the days 10 years ago when we talked about it without knowing exactly what it entailed. Now it is a part of our everyday lives and we seized the opportunity,” says Vinson. “We have made a point of working closely with our customers and suppliers - the skill is bringing both together for mutual benefit and also for the benefit of BerryWorld.”
Most major suppliers of soft fruit in the UK have embarked on breeding projects in the last few years. Vinson has already been responsible for the breeding and introduction of three popular everbearer varieties - Evita, Everest and Evie. The move away from traditional varieties continues to gain momentum, and says Laurence Olins: “Having a major grower and the most successful UK soft fruit breeder as our chairman has given us an amazing leading edge. We believe there is no company within the UK industry that has the mix of talent that BerryWorld has.”
Vinson adds: “There is a huge amount effort being put into varietal development and proprietary breeding programmes and BerryWorld is just one of the companies involved. This is a relatively small industry and I don’t see that there is the need for all of the individual breeding programmes. There is a danger that we will end up with too many new varieties, but at the end of the day the best will inevitably come to the top. Like the Derby, there is only one winner.” Unlike the Derby, of course, that winner is the punter - or consumer.
Within the industry though, there will be more than one winner. “Which stable they will come from is difficult to say, but there will undoubtedly be an overall improvement,” Vinson says. “Elsanta will be supplemented by a greater selection of varieties and we may well see supermarkets taking sole rights. That is a marketing issue of course, but it will lead to the consumer getting a better product.”
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