AC Goatham & Son is expanding its farm infrastructure with the construction of a new 12-chamber cold store at Howt Green Farm, near Sittingbourne in Kent.
The new facility will be finished this summer and the company revealed further cold stores are planned for Elmstone Farm, near Wingham and Swanton Farm in Bredgar, subject to planning approval.
AC Goatham is also planning further investment in farm infrastructure and buildings over 2018-19 at various locations, to provide new facilities for seasonal workers and to house machinery.
Managing director Ross Goatham said: “There is an industry-wide lack of modern cold storage facilities here in Kent. We are continuing to invest for our future to ensure we can supply the British public with the best quality apples and pears for longer each season.
“To support the planting of our new orchards, we need to have this infrastructure in place to store the fruit once harvested. It makes sense to build or improve facilities at our individual farms around the county, to help reduce vehicle movements during the harvest period and crucially to get the field heat out of the fruit as soon as possible. This will help to ensure that the fruit stores for longer, so it will be available for longer in British supermarkets for consumers.”
The topfruit grower has 27 farms across Medway and Kent and in 2017 grew 200 million apples and 50m pears.
“All businesses need to invest to build a successful future,' Goatham added. 'Despite the challenges which Brexit will bring for our industry, we are very confident that with this investment, the British topfruit sector is well placed for a sustainable future.”
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