Wareings of Tarleton has won the QV Fresh Approach sponsored Independent Retailer of the Year award for the second consecutive year at the Re:fresh Awards.
The company has been particularly recognised for its success after another 12 months of creative expansion and commitment to spreading the healthy eating message.
Wareings has been growing seasonal salads and vegetables at Johnson Farm, in Tarleton, for more than 100 years, and for the last decade of those has been harvesting them fresh for local and regional farmers markets in the North West of England.
Husband and wife team Clive and Debbie Wareing have been at the helm since 1997 and have furthered an already successful business from its 12.5-hectare smallholding. In the last 12 months, they have used their success at Re:fresh 2009 as a valuable promotional tool and publicised their status to their advantage through the local print and broadcast media. Wareings has consequently been invited to participate in several new farmers market in the area, and has expanded its customer base by accepting four of those invitations. Wareings won the award despite competition from runners up Cwmcerrig Farm Shop and The Naked Grocer.
Debbie Wareing told Freshinfo: “We are totally stunned to have won this award two years in a row and it is certainly a great honour. People have said to us how nice it is to see someone on a smaller scale succeed like this. It takes a lot of time and energy to enter the awards, but the rewards and satisfaction you get far outweighs that.”
Wareings is participating in the development of a workbook that gives children simple usage ideas for their local produce and it will focus on making this successful in the next 12 months.
The Re:fresh judges said: “For the second year running Wareings has again demonstrated a true passion for local, independent retail.”
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