Lea Valley-based salad specialist Abbey View Produce has received what it thinks could be the UK’s first delivery of long-type cucumbers from Israel and cucumbers from Senegal.
Both crops were planted as trials for Abbey View with the prospect of supplying Sainsbury’s, providing they meet quality and shelf-life specifications.
The Israeli cucumbers are being grown by STM Agriculture, a company originally formed with the help of Sainsbury’s and its suppliers for winter supply of peppers.
STM has been supplying Abbey View since the 2003/04 winter season and discussions on growing cucumbers first took place this summer.
The Senegalese cucumbers have been grown by Compagnie Fruitiere under the Doona umbrella, and the company already supplies several lines to many of the UK’s leading retailers.
According to Abbey View, the biggest challenge for the Senegalese growers is going to be achieving the freshness and shelf life required of the crop, but the initial consignment has shown a lot of promise.
With both of the first arrivals of a higher standard than expected for first-time growers, Abbey View said it had high hopes that both could be long-term options for the difficult January-February period when cold weather conditions can have a detrimental effect on crops from Spain. Both of these trials will be supplied to wholesale markets around the country
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