Rob James, Technical Director at Thanet Earth commented: "Working with Sainsbury's in this way means we can plan ahead with more certainty and keep pushing what's possible for British growing. A good example is our investment in the technology needed to grow cucumbers through the winter, creating the right conditions for the crop and helping bring more British-grown produce to customers at a time of year when that has not previously been possible."
Building on demand for British tomatoes
The agreements also support Sainsbury's strong and growing tomato offer. Last year, Taste the Difference tomatoes generated more than £120 million in sales and accounted for over 65% of Sainsbury's total tomato sales, with five of the top 10 Taste the Difference lines across the retailer sitting within the tomato category.
With customer demand for British tomatoes continuing to perform strongly, Sainsbury's has supported British Tomato Fortnight for the past five years with this year seeing its strongest ever tomato sales.
Paul Faulkner, Director at Evesham Vale Growers said: "Our long-standing partnership with Sainsbury's is built on a shared commitment of growing and delivering great-quality tomatoes for its customers. Having the confidence and certainty that comes with a long-term agreement allows us to look ahead to the future and invest in our business, build on the number of British grown tomatoes already on Sainsbury's shelves, extend availability and ensure customers can enjoy more British-grown produce."
Helping British growers to plan ahead and invest for the future
The new agreements are among the longest in the industry and are designed to give British growers the certainty they need to invest for the long term, at a time when the sector is facing rising costs, climate volatility and growing pressure on supply. They form part of Sainsbury's wider commitment to investing in long-term agreements with thousands of British and Irish farms, providing growers with the confidence to invest for the future.
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About Sainsbury's
Offering delicious great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority and our purpose is clear - we make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day.
Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands - Argos, Nectar, Tu Clothing, Habitat and Smart Charge. Sainsbury's has more than 600 supermarkets and over 885 convenience stores. Argos is a leading digital retailer with over 80 per cent of its sales starting online and 20 million active customers. Digital and technology enables us to adapt as customers shop differently and our profitable, fast-growing online channels offer customers quick and convenient delivery and collection capability.