British Berry Supplier Delivers Consistent Year-Round Fruit Donations with The Addition of Winter Strawberry Production

This winter marks the first time The Summer Berry Company will use its new year-round strawberry production to maintain a steady supply of berry donations throughout the year, supporting communities in need with fresh, local fruit.

The Summer Berry Company recently unveiled its Green Energy Solution which has enabled the supplier in West Sussex to become one of the first to grow strawberries 12 months a year, supplying major retailers Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S with Britain’s iconic fruit in the depths of winter.

The £6 million investment in the new technology means the Summer Berry Company is now able to produce 600,000 punnets of British strawberries over the colder months– with fewer retailers having to rely on flying imports in from countries like Egypt and Jordan to fulfill consumer demand.

A substantial quantity of these year-round British strawberries have and will be donated to two major UK based charities

The Chichester based supplier has longstanding relationships with food donation charities, UK Harvest and The Big Difference and has donated a total of 18,750 punnets of fresh strawberries to the foundations this year alone – with the Green Energy Solution allowing locally grown strawberries to be donated over winter for the first time.

Among the varieties being donated is the Summer Berry Company’s Fandango strawberry, which is the only strawberry in the world to receive a Superior Taste Award in 2024, having been granted the highest possible award of three stars by a panel of 250 chefs and sommeliers – making it currently the tastiest strawberry in the world.

“As growers we invest in the earth and we believe it’s essential to give back and share the resulting harvest with those in need, especially around the festive period  Bartosz Pinkosz, UK Operations Director says of the donations this year, "Our year-round production means we can support our communities even through the winter months, not with offcuts or unwanted produce, but the highest-quality fruit.”

Commenting on the relationship with The Summer Berry Company, Nigel Boshein, Community Outreach and Engagement Officer at UK Harvest explains, "Thanks to this generous donation of fresh berries, we can ensure that our Community Food Hub users are able to access highly nutritious fruit to share among their households throughout the summer and winter months. Knowing that we have these donations actually encourages more people to the hubs. Thank you to everyone at The Summer Berry Company for their ongoing support."