Organic veg box company Riverford has named potato and root vegetable growers Neil and Gary Farley as Grower of the Year in its 2019 supplier awards.
Brothers Neil and Gary have been supplying organic parsnips, carrots and potatoes, including the popular King Edward Christmas variety, to Riverford’s organic veg boxes for almost 15 years from their farm near Cullompton, south Devon.
The award was presented by Riverford’s commercial director Luke King at Riverford’s annual supplier conference, held on the farm last weekend (27 April).
“Sometimes it’s easy to look past high standards that are continuously high, and for products that may not be at the exotic end of the scale,” King said.
“Organic production, as we all know, can be a precarious operation, but the Farleys’ quality is always outstanding and their fields are always a tidy clean operation from start to finish. They are always looking to innovate and seeking out better varieties. We’re delighted to present them with Grower of the Year.”
Other awards presented on the day included Most Improved, to livestock and vegetable grower Andy Hayllor in Devon; Best Product, for summer spinach grown by Yorkshire-based Jake Richardson; Best Innovation, to Jake Pardoe in Herefordshire for consistent innovation including a new damson-plum hybrid; Best Overseas Grower went to Paco Lozano for his achievements in developing tasty tomato varieties in Spain; and Best Livestock Farmer to Lloyd and Pete Mortimore based on Dartmoor.
Winners received a prestigious carrot trophy and a bottle of champagne.
King added: “The quality of our product that we deliver to our customers has never been better, so a big thank you to everyone who works so hard to help make Riverford a success.”
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