Weetabix is pleased to confirm that following the earliest Northamptonshire harvest in its 85-year history, it will once again be able to meet its commitment to sourcing all of its Weetabix wheat from British farms within 50 miles of its Burton Latimer mill.

A record-breaking hot dry summer, following a wet start and extended cold spell in April, created challenging growing conditions for the local farmers on which Weetabix relies. Since 2010, weather permitting, Weetabix’s Growers Group of approximately 160 local farmers have provided all of the high quality British wheat that makes it into each and every bowl of Weetabix.

Hitesh Bhatia, Strategic Sourcing Manager at Weetabix said: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our farmers, I can confirm that once again every single one of the 365 grains found in each Weetabix biscuit will come from local farms. We work closely with our Growers Group to secure the highest quality British wheat produced to the most responsible standards.”

Instead of buying wheat on the open market, Weetabix exclusively buys wheat for Weetabix biscuits from two local wheat merchants, Gleadell and Fengrain. Each sources grain from farms committed to the Weetabix Growers Group protocol which governs quality, consistency, traceability, environmental sustainability. All 160 farms must also lie within 50 miles of the Weetabix factory in Burton Latimer.

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Farmer James Wheeler, whose farm in Northamptonshire supplies wheat through Gleadell to Weetabix, said: “Being part of the Growers Group means we operate to strict protocols and work closely with Weetabix. This makes sure the very best British wheat makes it to breakfast tables. In return, we get information to continuously improve our output. For example, for every truck of harvested wheat tipped at Weetabix’s manufacturing plant in Burton Latimer, we receive a text back that tells us key information about the quality of our grain. This helps us monitor our harvest output in real time.”

Jonathan Lane, Trading Director at grain merchants Gleadell, said: “It’s terrific to see British farmers delivering such a good quality harvest under challenging conditions. They are not alone in facing weather related challenges. Farmers right across Northern Europe and Scandinavia have had to deal with difficult growing conditions.”

Weetabix has proudly produced Britain’s favourite breakfast cereal from its Burton Latimer factory in Northamptonshire for over 80 years. Made from 100 per cent wholegrain, a serving of Weetabix is high in fibre as well as being low in fat, sugar and salt; making it the perfect way to start the day.