Greosn: the fresh produce investment firm driving sustainability at speed

Before winning last year’s FPC award for Fresh Produce Business of the Year, Greosn could stake a claim for being the biggest company in the UK industry you’ve never heard of. And that’s because it is essentially an investment company – but one with hands-on involvement in the successful and wide-ranging fresh produce and horticulture businesses it invests in.

The man at its helm, Matt Jarrett, describes Greosn’s collaboration with its partners – which include major suppliers of fruit, flowers, plants and labour – as “active, strategic and supportive”, ensuring that “the right governance, leadership and resources are in place to deliver sustained growth”. The existing leadership teams are given autonomy over day-to-day operations, while Greosn provides mentoring, strategic performance frameworks, and access to specialist expertise, with the aim of helping businesses accelerate their growth. Support is given with key functions such as commercial, marketing, finance, IT and HR.

Following a raft of acquisitions since Greosn was founded in 2014, the company currently manages 28 businesses. These include Pro-Force (one of the five seasonal worker scheme operators with a license to grant seasonal worker visas for the fresh produce sector), Emery Soft Fruits (a family-run farm in Hampshire growing premium strawberries and raspberries), and Mansfields (the well-known Kent-based producer of apples, pears, strawberries, cherries and plums) – as well as Varfell Farms (the world’s largest daffodil grower, based in Cornwall), Newey (one of the UK’s largest ornamental plant producers and specialist propagators) and a host of other important suppliers, including farms in South Africa and Portugal.

The rapid acquisition of these businesses has transformed Greosn into a £400 million business – with turnover doubling since Jarrett took over as CEO five years ago, earning the company a place in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 back in 2022. Prior to that he was MD of Pro-Force for more than 20 years – a business that has been part of Greosn since the holding company’s inception.

There have been a number of recent high-profile acquisitions in the UK fresh produce sector in the past 12 months, with Burgess Farms sold in a management buyout with private investment support from Chiltern Capital, US fresh food giant Taylor Farms acquiring salads supplier Natures Way Foods, and G’s joint venture acquisition of Tozer Seeds. Against this backdrop, Jarrett believes consolidation in the UK fresh produce sector will drive resilience and ultimately strengthen the industry.

“As investors and growers, we see clear value in scaling businesses so they can invest in technology, labour solutions and year‑round supply chains that benefit growers, retailers and consumers,” he says. “Consolidation plus collaborative partnerships led by leading investor‑operators like us will shape a more robust, innovative and globally competitive fresh produce sector for the greater good.”

At a time when some of the UK’s smaller producers are struggling to survive – particularly following the closure of the EU-legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme – this view is likely to receive a mixed response from farms fighting for their independence. But Greosn’s investment certainly seems to have improved the long-term resilience and sustainability of its partners, helping them to adopt the latest precision technologies and data analytics to drive efficiency, optimise production, and boost yields.

“We choose the right locations and diversify growing regions, including investing globally to spread climatic and logistical risk,” says Jarrett. “Water security is central, and on‑site reservoirs, capture systems, and smarter water management all help to future‑proof production. Together these measures mitigate risk, reduce operating costs and create more predictable, year‑round supply chains for retailers and consumers.”

With ambitious plans for the future, Jarrett says Greosn will continue to invest as part of a 10‑year plan to “future‑proof British farming and build long‑term resilience”. In the next five years, the focus will be on targeted acquisition, expansion and deeper long-term partnerships. In fruit specifically, Greosn plans to expand further into protected cropping and overseas production to bring earlier varieties and premium genetics to market.

Following the acquisition of Mansfields in 2025, the investment company is now in the process of consolidating all its various fruit businesses (including Emery Soft Fruits and Norton Cherries) to drive “significant investment” in storage, packhouses and farms.

It all points to a steep and rapid trajectory for Greosn, especially since Jarrett took the reins, but his previous job – as MD of Pro-Force for two decades – has offered industry insight with which to make these strategic investment decisions.

“A core strength of the company is an informed acquisition strategy, investing in businesses we’re already familiar with,” says Jarrett. “This gives Greosn clear insight into where operational improvements would deliver value. We buy businesses we understand and input the required investment capital and shared group capabilities to boost profitability within a two-to-three‑year horizon.”

Reflecting on his career to date, Jarrett stresses the importance of having an entrepreneurial mindset and constantly asking “what next?” And this fearlessness is reflected in his attitude to setbacks. “Failures are not the end but rather stepping stones to success,” he says. “These experiences pave the way for innovation and improvement.”

Fine-tuning SWS

As an expert in labour provision, Jarrett believes certain refinements would make the UK’s seasonal worker scheme even more effective. He thinks visa start dates should be allowed to “slide” up to four weeks earlier or later, allowing workers to arrive precisely when labour is needed. “This would increase their earning potential and ensure growers have hands on the ground at peak times,” he explains.

He also argues that processing static visa start dates against the ever-changing weather conditions results in inefficiencies, as workers arrive out of sync with the season they are coming to support. Allowing the visas to move forward or back would help farms respond quickly to changing weather and crop timings, while maximising the productive weeks per visa.

“With straightforward safeguards, these adjustments would boost efficiency and strengthen the scheme’s value for growers and workers alike,” Jarrett concludes.