The British strawberry season is underway with the first pick at Kent supplier S&A Produce, alongside growing advances in winter season British berry supply
The spring-summer British strawberry season has begun with early picking starting this week at Kent-based producer S&A Produce.
It is being heralded as a marker of innovation in the industry, as typically the summer British strawberry season starts in April.
“Seeing British strawberries already developing at S&A Produce may feel early in the year, but it reflects just how far the British berry sector has progressed in extending the season and investing in new growing technology,” said outgoing chair of trade body British Berry Growers, Nick Marston.
“While these early crops are now appearing under cover at farms like S&A Produce, other British growers are also using advanced glasshouse systems to produce strawberries and raspberries throughout the winter months,” he added.
The UK’s winter berry season is also developing at pace, with glasshouse innovations from suppliers including Dyson Farming and The Summer Berry Company helping drive volumes forward.
The latter is expected to have picked 400 tonnes of British strawberries during winter 2025-2026.
“British berry growers are adopting precision irrigation, AI crop-counting, UVC disease robots, biological pest control and renewable energy systems,” explained Marston.
“These investments are helping growers produce high-quality berries more efficiently, extend the British season, and continue supplying fresh British fruit for longer periods of the year,” he said.
Innovation in the berry industry is set to be a hot topic at next week’s Fruitnet Berry Congress, where leading figures will meet in London on 19/20 March for a day of talks, panel discussions and tours.
