News

One of Scotland’s largest growers of strawberries and cereal crops is set to supply supermarket giant Asda with more than 70 million strawberries this season.

D Geddes Farms of Arbroath has supplied strawberries to Asda stores across Scotland and the north of England for more than 14 years, including Just Essentials and Grower Selection strawberries.

Operated by Frank Geddes and his family, this year will also see the business provide strawberries for the Extra Special Scottish strawberries range for the first time.

The location of the farm on the North Sea coast mean the strawberry crops benefit from a coastal temperature climate, with cool nights and lots of natural sunlight during the day.

Sergei Kaminski, the soft fruits manager at D Geddes Farms, said the company is delighted to grow Extra Special Scottish strawberries for Asda.

“It is a real testament to the quality of our produce that we now supply five different strawberry products at all Asda stores in Scotland and the north of England, ” said Mr Kaminski.

He said the business was predicting a bumper year in strawberries from mid-May through to mid-October.

“The strawberries from our farm are planted directly into the soil and we don’t rely on growing substances or compost bags.

“I’ve been involved in growing strawberries for over 20 years and I believe that strawberries growing in soil have a lot more flavour than strawberries growing in a compost bag.  We are also committed to improving our sustainability and move towards producing fully recyclable punnets this year.”

In 2021, The farm won Asda’s Sustain and Save Exchange Award in the Working with Nature category for exemplary achievement in wildlife-friendly farming and using biological control, where possible, instead of using chemicals.

Ashley Connelly, Asda’s local buying manager for Scotland, said: “It is fantastic to continue our partnership with D Geddes Farms, which has been so successful over the last 14 years.  It is clear our customers love strawberries and we are delighted to bring a range of quality locally sourced options to our shelves – all 70 million of them.”