Sweet smell of profits

The start of this year’s sweetcorn season was tinged with nervous anticipation as the weather failed to provide the consistent warmth of last year. “Eventually on June 30, the harvesting rigs rolled into the fields,” says Peter Atkins, head of supply chain at Barfoots of Botley, “and the 2004 season began.”

Although the first crops were five days later than last year, there is, says Atkins, easily sufficient yield to give full UK supply to Barfoot’s customers by August 6. “In comparison to last year the weather was cooler and more mixed through May, June and July, and there will be no record crops in the first month of this season, although later months may be different,” he says.

The later start has ensured that the French crop will be cleared and that the heavy overlap of previous years will not occur in a market that will shortly be clear for home producers. “Availability from our UK farms will still be there to meet all of our customer requirements, due in the main to our larger planted acreages for this year and continuously improving production techniques,” says Atkins. “Quality is good as cooler weather has not been unwelcome and the crops have maintained steady growth throughout their development. We look forward to volumes as planned and although there will be no bumper harvest, there will certainly be no shortages either.”

Culver Farms produces sweetcorn on 190 hectares at its base in East Sussex. “Conditions have been very favourable this year,” says the company’s Mark Stroude. “The timing of the crop is about average and quality is looking very good. We have enjoyed very warm conditions here in East Sussex - it is no coincidence that Culver Farms and Barfoots of Botley are both based in this part of the country.”

By far the majority of Culver Farms’ produce is sold within the UK as fresh product, with around 40 per cent going to the multiples, and 60 per cent to the wholesale market “Many years ago we grew almost exclusively for Safeway,” says Stroude, “so our customer base has developed. We produce a couple of well-recognised brands in Culver Corn and Golden Cross.”

Davis Import & Export handles sweetcorn from April until November, working with three major sources. “We have got together with three growers from Maroc who are working towards EurepGAP,” says sales manager Oskar Wilson. “From April until the end of May they supply us with sweetcorn and courgettes and together we have invested in a packhouse. The advantage of this is that we can offer full traceability from seed to plate and we are able to control the whole process, from the seeds that are planted, spray records and crop management, through to the harvesting and shipment. The other advantage is that since I am from the area, I am better able to understand what they require from the customer, as well as knowing what is required from us.”

The company does not export directly to any supermarkets as it has good arrangements with packers in France, Germany and the UK, and is happy to build on these existing relationships. When supplies are switched to Spain, it makes use of its office in Valencia, enabling it to ensure full traceability and knowledge of the Spanish crop. Says Wilson: “We run with Spanish product until the French begins. From France we have strong ties with the company Provence Epi d’Or; we have worked for several years with them, slowly building up the business. During the winter months we sell a lot of vacuum packed sweetcorn and we are also doing own labels for certain multiple outlets.”

Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of the sweetcorn market is the inroads they have made in terms of exporting, says Wilson. “In the past few years we have exported small quantities, targeting markets in Denmark, Sweden and southern France. However, we have recently been completing the final touches to a brand launch in Germany with a major German supermarket where will market sweetcorn under the brand name Kap’tain Kob, include cooking advice on packs and a give-away puppet. “The whole plan is subject to German law and copyright considerations,” says Wilson, “but we are keen to get the approval through shortly so we can begin to use the marketing arm in the coming season.”

The company is also looking at exporting further afield to Moldova, Russia and the Baltic states. “The main problem we have with this is the growing export market from Poland which is pushing increasingly harder into these markets with support and aid from Brussels,” says Wilson.

By all accounts the UK sweetcorn market is presently buoyant with strong prices and good volumes in all sections. “The total sales for 2004 English season should easily outstrip last year especially as there is so little crop in the rest of Europe to be drawn into such a strong market,” says Atkins. “Spain is finished, France ended earlier this week and Germany is only finding enough crop for its home market. The season is set with the best opportunities for English growers for several years, especially with double-digit growth in sales as the current expectation of many marketeers.”

Consumption is also on the up says Stroude. “There is a definite feeling that youngsters are particularly interested in sweetcorn because they like being involved with their food,” he says. “The good thing about sweetcorn is that it is a late summer vegetable and is completely different to a salad product. It fits a good niche as a summer vegetable and it lends itself to indoor and outdoor eating.”

Sweetcorn stirred up a maze of publicity recently when the European Commission lifted its ban on the imports of genetically modified foods. Frozen and tinned genetically modified sweetcorn will now be imported and sold, but have to be clearly labeled as a bio-engineered product. It is a move that has attracted heavy criticism from environmental groups, especially Friends of the Earth, but whether GM sweetcorn will even make it onto supermarket shelves seems questionable - when existing products such as GM tomato puree have been abandoned because of public opposition.

In the far less controversial field of standard r&d practices a lot of work has been carried out on new varieties with the aim of enhancing sweetness. “Making sweetcorn softer to eat is also a major focus,” says Stroude. “We experimented with coloured sweetcorn in the mid-80s but found there was no demand back then. Culver Farms is now concentrating on improving its refrigeration that is now a big consideration. It is very important to remove field heat as soon as possible otherwise the product loses its freshness and shelf life very quickly.”

While coloured corn has a limited appeal, continual r&d at Barfoots has brought the company to a stage where the launch of a single-snack cob to be introduced to retailers, foodservice suppliers and many instant snacking facilities throughout the UK is imminent. Further developments will be announced as the year progresses.

Packaging with a flow-wrap machine is one way to extend product shelf-life and this was a key consideration for Barfoots who purchased three of Ulma Packaging’s horizontal form fill and seal Nevada wrapping machines which have been installed at Barfoots’ headquarters at Sefter Farm, Pagham, near Bognor Regis. Although the company’s range includes squashes, pumpkins, marrows, sweet potatoes, asparagus and chilli peppers, it was home-produced and imported sweetcorn that the company wanted to pack better when it approached Ulma for help and now all three machines are up and running, turning out packs of sweetcorn by the score, many of which find their way onto Sainsbury’s shelves nationwide.

The Nevada is the latest flow wrapper in the Ulma range and has been derived from the company’s long experience of flow wrapping, with the latest electronic technology incorporated. Ulma managing director Derek Paterson says: “The Nevada’s modular design features the proven characteristics of other machines in our range - strength, reliability, versatility and ease of operation. It incorporates an LS long dwell seal system that optimises the sealing cycle. The result is a machine capable of coping with virtually any application.”

The machine, which has three independent motors each controlling their own functions, has been constructed in stainless steel and anti-corrosive materials. Its cantilever design means sanitation is an easy task - something that is a big plus point when it has to deal with items like meat, fish, cheese and other fresh produce - like the sweetcorn from Barfoots.

Barfoots’ technical director Justin Creasy says: “We knew the Nevada had the potential to do just what we needed when we decided flow wrapping was the way forward for us. And the machines have proved their worth. We are now turning out products which have a significantly longer shelf-life than before and that for us is a major consideration.”