Even a drizzly, grey November morning fails to take the shine off Albert Bartlett’s impressive facility in Airdrie. As the UK’s leading grower of root vegetables, handling more than 500,000 tonnes a year, Bartlett’s has won a steady stream of awards in recent years, ranging from the Re:fresh 2007 Packer of the Year and the Green Apple Silver Award, to the VIBES award for large businesses.
Albert Bartlett will be celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2008, and with a successful £2 million advertising campaign, coupled with the recent integration of its Lincolnshire operation into its business, the grower-packer is riding high on its achievements.
Albert Bartlett works with 55 potato growers in Scotland and 25 in England, stretching from Cornwall to Inverness. The size of farms ranges from 70 acres to 1,300 acres, and many have been supplying the company for three generations.
Growers are an integral part of Bartlett’s business, and it is evident that the company takes a very hands-on approach. “There are no surprises in our supply chain,” says John Hicks, head of marketing at Bartlett’s. “Our technical team works as an integrated part of our dedicated grower base; it’s very much a partnership, assuring quality from seed to store.”
Bartlett’s has been credited with raising the profile of the potato with its recent campaigns, and Hicks is quick to point out that the sector has come a long way. “There’s excitement about the potato category,” he says. “We’re now seeing other potato grower-packers using branding to sell their products - the activity is good for the industry in general. Consumers need to be reminded that potatoes are not just carbohydrates; they are a tasty, good-quality root vegetable.”
This year has unquestionably been a good one for Albert Bartlett. The company spent £2m on advertising in 2007 - not on the scale of Coke or Pepsi, but it is a pretty impressive investment for a fresh produce company.
As well as using the services of celebrity chefs Andrew Fairlie and Michel Roux, Bartlett’s has run a range of activities at a number of levels. It is targeting the foodie audience via magazines such as Olive and Delicious and on UKTV Food, as well as gunning for a more mainstream audience with Rooster potatoes enjoying airtime during the Coronation Street ad breaks on ITV, and popping up on boarding for key rugby matches.
Bartlett’s is extending the Rooster range, and in the coming months hopes to introduce new-style packs and an organic offer.
Rooster production has increased significantly each year since being launched under the Albert Bartlett brand, and volumes will increase again in 2008. It is the most popular variety of potato in Ireland, and Bartlett’s is confident that further growth is achievable.
“We’re investing in Rooster for the long term,” Hicks says. “Bartlett’s is creating consumer demand for produce - traditionally the fresh produce industry has looked to the retailer to sell to consumers, but Bartlett’s believes that producers need to support the consumer message.”
Rooster enjoyed 10 per cent recognition in the UK prior to its advertising campaign in 2006, which rose to 14 per cent after the campaign. “If we can get to 20 per cent recognition this year, I’ll be fairly happy,” Hicks tells FPJ.
“Our campaigns include high- and low-level activity, and we see them as a layering process - something to build on going forward - but we’re always conscious that delivering on a day-to-day basis remains a priority.”
While Rooster is building up a following in the UK, Albert Bartlett is hopeful that the variety will gain exposure further afield. “We’re looking to develop the Rooster brand in Europe,” Hicks says. “We’ve invested heavily in the product and want to maximise the opportunity.”
Bartlett’s has appointed Tim Hammond as international manager to do just that. He will be looking at opportunities for Rooster and other Bartlett’s products outside the UK.
Another new addition to the Bartlett’s team is Gillian Kynoch, a dietician by trade. Following many years of experience with the NHS, Kynoch moved into a government role and has headed up food and health policy at the Scottish Executive for the last six years. In her role as head of development and innovation at Bartlett’s, Kynoch will be tasked with ensuring the business continues to look at new ways of promoting root vegetables.
But it is not all one-way communication - consumers are telling Bartlett’s, via letters and through its website, how much they enjoy the company’s produce.
Hicks says more consumers are becoming interested in, and loyal to, certain varieties. This interest in varieties has been helped in part by the success of farmers’ markets and specialist delis, where shoppers are able to access different and interesting varieties. However, Hicks says commercial scale volumes of tasty, high-quality varieties are needed to really reach the mass audience.
AlthoughBartlett’s has enjoyed considerable success with Rooster, it is also planning for the future. It has trial sites in Scotland and England, where it tests more than 100 new varieties each year. The majority of varieties are not in commercial production, but those that do show some potential are scored for cooking performance and taste, using the firm’s in-house process and Michelin-starred chefs.
As well as being the exclusive distributor of Rooster, Bartlett’s also holds the rights to some other varieties, including Vivaldi and Osprey. The firm has secured the rights to grow and market Vivaldi from HZPC until 2027. The grower produces Vivaldi exclusively for Sainsbury’s, where it is marketed in the Taste the Difference range. “We continually seek to add quality varieties to our offer,” Hicks says. “Vivaldi and Rooster are quality varieties that appeal to different consumer tastes, which is important as we are fully aware that one potato doesn’t meet all requirements.”
Albert Bartlett is arguably best known for its potato activity. However, the other three products in its mix - carrots, onions and parsnips, based at its Cambridge operation - are equally important.
Hicks says the company has positioned itself as a leading grower and packer of carrots, and that variety development and trials with carrots continue to progress. “There are lots of good things happening in the roots area, and over time these will become a lot more prominent,” he adds.
The company says its Airdrie facility is the most modern, efficient and environment-friendly installation of its type in Europe. The water that is used to wash potatoes is recycled six times. Impressively, 70 per cent of the water is sourced from the factory roof and the remaining 30 per cent is provided by borehole.
Bartlett’s also offers complete traceability on its product. The name of the grower is printed on its bags of potatoes and the company’s website contains farmer biographies. “We’re looking to update our website in 2008 to include even more information,” says Hicks.
As for 2008 and beyond, Hicks is keeping his cards close to his chest. “There is a lot that we’re planning, but we don’t want to say too much at this stage. However, look out for lots of exciting developments,” he promises.
FEEDING YOUNG MINDS
Albert Bartlett has an ongoing partnership with regional schools in Scotland to deliver health promotion and business education projects, and has recently entered the publishing arena with two books, Class Cuisine and Sammy & Sally.
All recipes for the Class Cuisine book were created with the involvement of local schools. Meanwhile, Sammy & Sally is a healthy eating book aimed at pre-school children, and copies of the book were provided to all of Scotland’s nurseries.
Albert Bartlett has also set up bursaries for athletics junior Joanne Finch and the Clarke ballet Brothers.
“We’re hoping that children will see Joanne and the Clarke brothers as role models, and will look at how they eat,” says Albert Bartlett’s head of marketing, John Hicks.
KEY FACTS
• Albert Bartlett was founded in 1948.
• It is the UK’s leading grower of root vegetables, supplying Britain with one in six of its fresh potatoes, carrots, onions and parsnips.
• Barlett’s supplies the retail, foodservice and processing sectors.
• Bartlett’s operates three UK packing sites.
• Rooster potatoes were the UK’s first branded fresh potato.
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