Family business G's grows and markets hand-harvested vegetables in Cambridge and Norfolk. Its produce has just won a listing in Tesco. MD John Shropshire outlines plans for further growth For more than 50 years our family has been growing, packing and marketing conventional and organic fresh salads and vegetables, delivered straight from the field to ensure freshness. When my father, Guy, bought his first farm, a 300-acre holding near the Fenland Isle of Ely, in 1952, he discovered that the rich, black soil was ideal for growing salads and vegetables. Nine direct family members are now involved in the business, including Keith Shropshire, National Grower and Organic Farmer of the Year 2006. Everything is sown, grown and harvested by people with a passion for quality. Much of it we grow ourselves, as close to home as possible and working with our own 'family' of growers. Since the 1970s we have recognised the importance of managing our farms in an environmentally responsible way to integrate conservation and management of wildlife into the everyday working of the farms. Our organics logo features a ladybird for its role in helping to keep plant-eating pests under control through our 100% natural approach to farming. Conventional and organic crops are grown and are usually packed in the field for freshness, often delivered to stores within 24 hours of being harvested. Core lines are celery, lettuce, beetroot and onions. Recent additions include radish and salad onions, and we also grow fennel, celeriac, broccoli, garlic and leeks. We have a staff of over 4,000 producing 250,000 tonnes of fresh produce from farms that we own, for a turnover of £230m. We also have farms in Spain and the Czech Republic, but we don't use air freight. We supply Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Marks & Spencer and Somerfield with own-brand produce, and are taking part in a trial of our own brand in selected Tesco stores in East Anglia - the first fresh produce farm brand to be available through a major supermarket. We have chosen to use the Shropshire brand because provenance is becoming more important to people. Branding has the potential to offer consumers reassurance at a time when they are becoming less confident in the source of foods that they buy. Our Organic Selection is the first farm-brand vegetable box scheme, available through Tesco Extra stores nationwide or via tesco.com.

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