Online retailer is stocking ultra early-season fruit a month earlier than usual
Ocado is preparing to kick off the main UK strawberry season nearly a month early.
The online retailer will begin selling 100 per cent UK-grown, ultra early-season strawberries from the BerryWorld brand from 31 March.
The first UK picks come from Herefordshire, with nearly 20,000 punnets expected in the first two weeks.
Martha Springham, trading manager at Ocado, said: “We’re proud to bring early, UK-grown strawberries to our customers this spring. Our growers have worked tirelessly to cultivate our proprietary varieties efficiently, and Ocado’s flexibility allows us to prioritise the first picks, delivering the freshest and sweetest strawberries straight to our customers. It’s a perfect way to celebrate the Easter period and support British farming.”
BerryWorld’s Maria Thomasson added: “The British strawberry season typically runs from late April to late September. Ocado’s long-term partnerships with UK growers and investment in advanced growing techniques means the retailer can offer ultra early-season strawberries, even after cooler weather in previous months. The first batches of strawberries from Berryworld will come from heated tunnels, instead of glasshouses.”
Ocado said it expects strong demand for early UK strawberries, with previous years showing a 40 per cent uplift in sales within four weeks of the first UK picks hitting the shelves.
