Vegetables grown in Bromham will be on the shelves of the new Waitrose store in Melksham within hours of being picked.
Bromham Growers Chris Feltham, left, Ross Padget and Ray Cargill loading produce for Waitrose. They have signed a deal to supply vegetables to the store
A deal has been struck between Waitrose owner, the John Lewis Partnership, and the trading group From My Farm.
Bromham Growers managing director Ray Cargill said the company supplies all the Waitrose stores in the South West through the From My Farm label.
“I am delighted to see a Waitrose opening in Melksham,” he said.
“It is very much at the top end of the supermarket scale. At the moment people have to travel to Marlborough or Bath to get quality produce like ours. Having a Melksham store not only cuts down the food miles, but all our packaging is eco-friendly.
“The plastic bags the produce comes in is compostable and wherever possible we use no packaging at all.”
Bromham Growers, of Barley Close Farm in New Road, will be supplying their own produce and will package and deliver produce from other farms in the area, those of Nick Wakeley, Tim Paget, Aaron Paget, Martin Haines and TML Berryman & Son.
Vegetables grown in Bromham and sold at Waitrose will vary seasonally but will include carrots, beetroot, parsnips and leeks, with cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes and onions following later in the year.
Melksham manager David Reid said: “We’re delighted to be able to introduce From My Farm to our customers in Melksham.
“Their farmers put a lot of enthusiasm into growing their produce.”
This is Wiltshire - 7th March 2010