Leading watercress grower aims to boost sales of resilient British crop following viral Clarkson’s pub appeal
The Watercress Company (TWC) has launched a direct online ordering facility for farm-fresh watercress as it looks to boost sales and raise awareness of a crop it says is now available in abundance.
The launch follows a social media post from TWC offering to supply Jeremy Clarkson’s pub The Farmer’s Dog directly with watercress, which attracted more than 1mn views in its first week.
The new order service offers next-day delivery of farm-fresh watercress in minimum quantities of 1kg, opening up direct sales to restaurants and consumers.
Tom Avery, managing director of TWC, said: “I was so excited by the response. We achieved what we needed – to deal directly with The Farmer’s Dog – but more importantly we achieved some notoriety and managed to make watercress part of the wider food conversation.”
The online launch comes as part of the company’s continuous efforts to raise the profile of British-grown watercress and encourage consumers to buy more of the crop.
TWC has also produced a series of social media videos across YouTube and Instagram documenting the process of watercress production with the aim of giving consumers greater visibility of how the crop is produced.
Poor supermarket availability and reduced shelf space has made it harder for consumers to purchase watercress, according to the company.
It pointed to reported recent instances of shortages on shelves which it said suggested replenishment and restocking issues were affecting sales.
“Some stores have reduced shelf space from three to two trays which means if there is a ‘run’ on watercress, they don’t have the stock with which to replenish the shelves, forcing consumers to buy something different,” the company stated.
Unlike many other British crops, the product has proven resilient to this summer’s extreme heat and drought as it is grown in gravel beds and mineral rich water from underground aquifers.
Avery added: “It’s imperative that we sell more watercress to keep the industry thriving and reinvesting but to do that we need to drive awareness of the care and skill required to grow watercress, as well as the passion that the team pour into growing and harvesting every watercress leaf.”
