S&A Produce enjoys strong financial year

Soft-fruit and asparagus firm S&A Produce has enjoyed its most impressive financial year yet.

The Herefordshire-based business increased its turnover to £69.6 million in 2014, up from £57.1m in 2013.

This is believed to be the highest turnover in S&A Produce’s history, following on from a series of £50m+ turnover figures posted since 2008. As recently as 2002, the company’s turnover figure was £9.1m.

Turnover isn’t the only figure rising significantly at the firm either – pre-tax profit rose to £2m in 2014, according to accounts held at Companies House, up from £863,574 in 2013.

The company attributed its success in 2014 to more favourable growing conditions. Speaking in the company accounts, Trevor Gregory, a director at S&A Produce, added: “The group’s business model facilitates the provision of good-quality products with high levels of service for its customers; in 2014, this has been instrumental in a material increase in the group’s sales of imported products. The company’s strategy is geared towards ensuring availability to consumers of UK-produced soft fruit and asparagus at affordable prices.

“In addition, the company intends to further improve its service to its key UK customers by sourcing good-quality imported produce when UK produce is not available.”

S&A Produce – which employed around 211 people at 2014 year-end – is the S&A Group’s packing and marketing enterprise, responsible for marketing the soft fruit and asparagus grown by the group and other growers during the UK season, as well as soft fruit imported globally from its selected growing partners.

It sells its produce to a “small number of large multiple retail customers,” and works to mitigate the risks that this model potentially entails by “maintaining strong relationships and providing high service levels.”

Last month, the firm secured exclusive plant rights for the Fleurette strawberry variety in the UK. The deal has come about following a 10-year working relationship with Dutch breeding programme and plant producer Goossens Flevoplant.