Why Provenance is as Important as the Taste
Increasingly, both manufacturers and consumers are demanding to know the provenance of their potatoes, which is music to the ears of specialist growers and processors Parripak Foods.
In 2007 the company invested in equipment to improve yields and crop utilisation from neighbouring farm, F P Parrish and Sons in Bedfordshire. This year, three varieties of potato, Estima, Piper and Melody will be grown in 165 acres of medium loam soil, which will give over 3000t of finished potato.
Parripak’s Dominic Pleasance said: “Because a proportion of our supply comes from our own products, it opens up procurement options. For example if other growers suffer low yields, thus reducing supply, we can use our own crop, which helps control when that product comes into us for processing.”
Parripak are also very keen for customers to come to site and visit the fields. Pleasance explained: “Normally the customer would only see the potato as part of their finished ready meal, but by seeing the potato in the soil to the finished product, they can understand the fully integrated processes by which we harvest, grade and then peel the crop.”
For Parripak Foods, innovation and new product development is a very important part of the process. Keith Pickles, Parripak’s potato buyer has been in the industry for over 25 years and regularly works with seed companies to pioneer new varieties, concentrating on yield and disease resistance. At seed level, Keith also takes part in marketing trials of the new varieties to make sure they fit the processes and production lines at Parripak. Customers also carry out their own trials to ensure that the new variety is suitable for their products.
Keith explained: “We’re always on the look out for the next Maris Piper and currently we are developing two experimental varieties on our neighbouring farm. I’m pleased to say that one of the varieties is showing good peeling potential with the right quality and flavour.”
Potatoes are Parripak’s largest volume line, processing whole peeled, sliced, diced julienne and other cuts of potato for food manufacturers. The recently installed potato processing line with optical grading has doubled their capacity on peeled output to 300t of finished potato product a week.
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Parripak Foods are now one of the leading fresh vegetable preparation specialists in the country, serving food manufacturers and food service companies. In 2006 they become part of the William Jacksons Food group, and currently operate from a 62,000 sq ft purpose built factory on the same site providing a wide range of freshly processed-to-order vegetables, with many of them still grown on the 700 acres of vegetable farmland surrounding the factory.
A dedicated garlic processing unit has been established on site which supplies pureed, whole peeled, chopped and diced garlic to ready meal, pizza, soup and ethnic cuisine customers. It also has a segregated high-care facility to cater for customers who produce dips and sauces and require low micro levels.
Parripak have also received various accreditations including EFSIS, organic accreditation through the Soil Association and Investors in People.
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