It’s quality first and foremost at the Co-op

Kate Jones explains the The Co-operative Farms’ overiding ethos to Chris Lyddon

Kate Jones, previously head of commercial food product offer for The Co-operative Group, has taken over the reins of the Co-op’s farming business from Christine Tacon, who recently left the Group after 11 years in the farming role.
“It is absolutely about getting the best quality produce to our customers,” Ms Jones says. “It’s about us being able to supply some key British-produced ingredients at the best possible quality for our customers.

“It’s about being customer-focused within the overall ethos of customer-focused thinking throughout the Co-operative food retail.
“It enables us to make sure we are growing varieties that our customers want to buy, that we take great care with quality right the way through the growing process, the selection process, the packing process and the distribution process. In essence, making sure that our customers get great quality fresh produce.”

Ms Jones joined The Co-operative from Iceland six years ago, and earlier spent 16 years at Marks & Spencer in various senior operational and buying roles. 
One of her key achievements in her previous role was the complete rejuvenation of the retailer’s own-brand food range, and she will continue to oversee development of The Co-operative’s own-brand range, which includes produce grown on Co-operative Farms, or products using ingredients grown on Co-operative Farms.

“At the moment we have an ambition that 25% of all the British produce that we sell will be grown on The Co-operative Farms,” she says. “We’re not quite there yet, but that’s our stated objective.

“We’re continually looking at ways to grow more potatoes, strawberries and increase the success of those lines in our stores,” she adds.  “In the first place it’s about being absolutely efficient and delivering the best quality products we already grow, so potatoes, apples, strawberries etc.
“Having established a sustainable workable model, we can develop from there.
“First of all it’s about getting those key quintessential British products absolutely right.
“It’s to make sure that we continue to be one of Britain’s leading farmers, that we continue to modernise, but also continue to focus on quality and on being excellent farmers, farming the land well and focusing on sustainable farming.

“I mean sustainable in its broadest sense,” explains Ms Jones.

“We’re a community food retailer and we do take our responsibility to create employment in local communities seriously.”

“As a co-operative we work hard to promote British farming and to continue to help British farming move forward.

“We’re one of Britain’s largest farmers and we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of those technologies to help us be better farmers,” she stresses.

“That means some being more efficient and making better use of things such as fertilisers and technology.”

The Co-operative Farms, which has been farming since 1896, owns or manages 14 farms, covering around 50,000 acres (20,243ha) of land in England and Scotland, growing a variety of fruit, vegetables and cereals. It also has four packhouses which pack potatoes, broccoli and fruit, based at Langley Brook in Staffordshire, Highland Court in Kent, Carnoustie in Angus and Longforgan in Dundee.

In addition, it hosts The Co-operative Group’s From Farm to Fork project, an award-winning outdoor learning experience launched in 2005, which is now operated at seven farms; and Habitat Heroes, a project at six farms that are working with local wildlife groups to improve feeding and breeding opportunities for key endangered or protected species such as water voles, otters and barn owls.