Local English strawberries throughout the Cornish region

Brakes will be starting this year's English strawberry season by offering its customers "first pick" Cornish Strawberries direct to the area, from the area.

Wellpict European Cornish grower Neil Hosking picked his first Cornish strawberry to supply the foodservice specialists at their Bodmin depot.

Neil who is a third generation grower,is confident that he is producing the earliest, freshest and tastiest strawberries for the Brakes group in Cornwall.

Heidi easby, commercial director at Brakes said: "This is about offering our customers more choice - the majority of our customers are happy buying their strawberries on a national basis alongside the rest of their Brakes order, but a growing number want the opportunity to buy on a true local basis.

"We can guarantee strawberries picked today will be delivered tomorrow, guaranteeing ultimate freshness and quality. Brakes' ability and desire to work clisely with local growers allows us to offer this level of choice to our customers and their consumers."

Produced in Gwithian near Hayle, in south-west Cornwall, the strawberries are of the Elsanta variety and are grown using the table top method which keeps the berries off the ground, avoiding pests and dirt.

Harvested every morning, they will be delivered the next day to customers are part of a process to cut out the main distribution factory for the local strawberries, resulting in fresher produce and less travelling time.

Brakes says that this is just the start of the project and is looking at opportunities to introduce it to other growers in the UK.

Neil who is a third generation grower,is confident that he is producing the earliest, freshest and tastiest strawberries for the Brakes group in Cornwall.

The fruit is harvested every morning and  they are delivered to Brakes customers the very next day in the Cornish region.

Above: Neil Hosking, grower; Jane Fletcher, Telesales manager Bodmin depot; Andy Izzard, Well Pict European Account Manager