Outstanding companies and individuals collect their trophies at showpiece event in Spalding
The winners of the third annual Festival of Fresh Awards have been crowned at this year’s conference and networking event in Spalding.
Over 250 senior industry figures were present on 5 June to witness the winners presented with their trophies by FPJ editor Fred Searle and Fruitnet MD Chris White. Winners were announced in six categories, having been selected by FPJ’s experienced team of writers and editors for their outstanding performance and innovative work over the past 12 months.
In the Retail Supplier of the Year category, Thanet Earth collected the trophy on the back of a raft of recent investment that has included the £20mn construction of a seventh glasshouse in Kent, a move into leafy salad production in Chichester, and the opening of a new education centre at Hadlow College.
The business has also increased turnover to almost £150mn in the past year and remains profitable at a testing time for the UK greenhouse sector.
St James’ Wholesale Market in Bradford was named Non-Retail Supplier of the Year. At a time when some wholesale markets are struggling to fill units, Bradford is thriving and has become a hub for independent retailers and foodservice companies across the region.
The market’s specialism is serving the Asian foodservice companies, retailers and restaurant businesses across the city. “As Bradford celebrates its position as UK City of Culture 2025, the market deserves its recognition as a thriving part of the food and local business economy, as well as keeping the city on the map for the wider international fresh produce trade,” Searle said.
The Marketing Magic award went to Driscoll’s, which last year successfully launched its brand into a range of UK supermarkets, independents and other retailers. It also ran an impressive Devoted to Delicious campaign that included branded billboards in high-traffic areas of London, berry sampling, a Driscoll’s Bike handing out free samples, and a fruit-gifting installation on Brick Lane. A similar marketing drive is underway this summer.
Driscoll’s also opened a cutting-edge new UK HQ in May, combining R&D, production and packing on the same site. The renovated facility in Linton, near Maidstone, sits alongside California and Mexico as one of Driscoll’s three strategic sites globally.
Branston picked up the prize for Sustainable Champion on the back of a highly impressive body of work, ranging from establishing a low-carbon concept farm for Tesco to sponsoring a school farm-to-fork initiative and hitting the two million meal milestone in FareShare donations.
As if that’s not enough, the potato supplier had its net-zero goals approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and has committed to reaching overall net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2050.
Meanwhile, It’s Fresh’s new technology Rypen won the Innovation Award, with its ethylene-moderating case liners proving a huge hit with the industry since launch.
Rypen is the second generation of food waste reduction tech from It’s Fresh, and according to the company, it absorbs 10 times more ethylene than the previous offer.
Finally, the Editor’s Award, selected by FPJ staff for outstanding achievement, was presented to G’s chairman John Shropshire, a grandee of the UK fresh produce industry. He has worked tirelessly to ensure better provision of seasonal labour for growers and improved working conditions for those workers as a founding member of both the Modern Slavery Intelligence Network (MSIN) and The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH).
Shropshire was also chair of the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain, while his leadership of G’s has made the company one of the biggest and most admired in the UK fresh produce industry.
Searle said: “Despite a time of challenge for suppliers, there have been so many examples of outstanding work, innovative thinking and inspirational leadership across the UK fresh produce industry over the past year. So many companies and individuals deserve recognition, but these award winners have truly reached the pinnacle of performance in 2025. Congratulations to all of them.”
Official photos of this year’s winners to follow.
