Co-op Farms extends food range grown on UK land

The Co-operative Farms has extended its food range with the launch of a brand called “Grown by us, Britain’s largest farmer”. It is planning to launch products and move existing items into the range.

The company has launched branded cereal bars, garden peas and pumpkins in selected Co-op stores. It says all have been grown, or contain ingredients that have been grown, by the Co-op Group’s Co-op Farms, which has 70,000 acres of land in England and Scotland.

There are two varieties of cereal bar, pear & apple and apple & sultana, with 25% of the ingredients consisting of oats grown at the Borders farm in Berwickshire.

The Truly Irresistible British Garden Peas are part of the Co-op’s premium range and are selected for their sweeter taste. The company says they are guaranteed to reach the retailer’s freezer in less than two-and-a-half hours from when they are harvested to minimise nutrient loss. The pumpkins are grown at the Coldham Estate in Cambridgeshire and are available in selected stores in Anglia.

This year, more products from the Co-op Farms are being sold in Co-op Food stores, including potatoes, flour and strawberries. These products will also adopt the new branding. Christine Tacon, general manager of the Co-op Farms, says other products, including honey, are in the pipeline.

Last month, the Co-op Group launched an integrated campaign to promote a range of British-sourced food. It included a TV campaign that focused on its premium “Truly Irresistible” range, grown in the UK.

The Co-op Farms was created in 1896 when the first farm was bought to grow potatoes for the company’s food stores.