A Kent-based family-owned fruit farm has signed a brand new PS750 million agreement with Aldi. AC Goatham & Son has been supplying Britain’s fourth largest retailer with a range of apple and pears since the year 2016 and was first announced this year to be the only supplier of British apple varieties.

The 20-year agreement will also allow the establishment for an “Aldi Orchard” – – a 200-acre piece of land situated on New Green Farm in Gravesend that will produce an assortment of Gala and Braeburn apple varieties for Aldi stores across the nation. The deal, which is long-term, will offer crucial support to British farmers by insuring their supply, as well as providing them with the stability they require to thrive and expand.

This news is coming in the same week that British Apples and Pears Limited (BAPL) has named Aldi as its 2023 Apple Retailer of the Year. The Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) named Aldi Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year in 2023.

AC Goatham & Son, awarded Supermarket Food and Veg Supplier of the Year at the FPC Awards 2023. will also establish another 100 acres each year of apples exclusively for Aldi.

In 1947, the company was founded and managed by Clive Goatham and his son Ross Clive Goatham, the company supplies around 250 million apples and pear to Aldi stores every year. That’s more than five times as much quantity it first supplied Aldi in the year 2016.

The company is planning big things in the near future, such as cooperating in partnership with Aldi to prolong the growing season using the storage of controlled atmosphere and together with Aldi in its quest to reach Net Zero.

Ross Goatham, Managing Director of AC Goatham & Son, stated: “This is a fantastic accomplishment, and an ode to the effort and effort both AC Goatham & Son and Aldi have done in the arrangement to create something that is truly collaborative. It’s which is a first in this sector. British Top Fruit Sector. We are now able to confidently in our ability to invest now into the future of our industry and increase the production of British fruit and pears to sell at Aldi and ensure longevity, sustainability and, most importantly, UK Food Security.”

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, stated: “We are proud to be one of the biggest consumers of British apple and to have a relationship in partnership with AC Goatham & Son. The new agreement, which runs for 20 years, is an investment of PS750m commitment to British agriculture, and shows our ongoing commitment to promoting British products.”

Aldi was the biggest purchaser of British apple in 2023 according to the body that regulates the industry, British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) and is poised to do the same in 2024.

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