Berry producer is gearing up for a 400-tonne UK strawberry crop this winter after expanding growing area to 3.6ha of glass
The Summer Berry Company has doubled its British winter strawberry production with glasshouse strawberries now available from six major UK retailers over the colder months.
The producer invested in a cutting-edge green energy solution at its West Sussex site in 2024, enabling 12-month supply of British strawberries. This marked a major shift for the sector, which has traditionally relied on imports from sources such as Spain, Egypt and Morocco between November and March.
This winter, the Chichester-based supplier’s glasshouse strawberries will be stocked at Asda, Aldi, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
And the company is on track to double its winter volume to just over 400 tonnes, with growing area expanded from 1.8 hectares to 3.6ha for the 2025/2026 season.
Bartosz Pinkosz, UK operations director at The Summer Berry Company, said: “We’re all familiar with British strawberries at Wimbledon and Royal Ascott but not so used to them being served on Christmas Day after the turkey.
“Typically, the demand for winter strawberries has been fulfilled by flying them in from countries like Egypt and Jordan – but we believe our new technology provides a far superior tasting fruit which is less energy-intensive to grow at our farm in West Sussex.”
The green energy system reduces the site’s reliance on fossil fuels, using a mix of renewable heat and power, LED lighting, and energy storage to recreate spring conditions indoors.
The year-round operation also supports more stable employment as the Chichester glasshouse provides 12-month work as opposed to purely seasonal jobs – for around 20 harvest workers, 15 husbandry workers, five workers in the packhouse, and one T-Level student, as well as an agronomy and management team of around 10 people.
The move has also allowed The Summer Berry Company to maintain year-round fruit donations to local charities, schools and hospitals, providing more than 22,000 punnets of strawberries this year alone through its partnerships with UK Harvest and The Big Difference.
The Summer Berry Company’s year-round solution has contributed to the company winning several awards in 2025, including UK Grower of the Year at the FPC Fresh Awards, the Business Diversification Award at the Sussex Chamber Business Awards in June, and Innovation Project of the Year at the Chichester & District Business Awards in November.
Among the strawberry varieties grown at The Summer Berry Company are Malling Ace, Karima, Favori, Florice, Limore One, and Fandango.
Fandango was recently recognised as one of the tastiest strawberries in the world after receiving the top three-star Superior Taste Award from an international panel of chefs and sommeliers.
