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QV to Inspire British New Potato sector

QV Foods is stepping up its commitment to the British potato industry with the extension of its Inspire brand and an extensive trade and consumer communications strategy.

The extension of its highly successful Inspire brand for prepared vegetables, with the launch this week of an Inspire British New Potato range, marks the beginning of a concerted strategy to increase the profile of QV Foods and its loyal band of regional growers, and benefit the entire British potato industry.

QV Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lincolnshire-based family farming operation AH Worth, has expanded rapidly in recent years, particularly since the acquisition of MBM Potatoes in 2009. This doubled the capacity of the business overnight and gained a new foothold for the retail specialist in the wholesale and foodservice sectors. QV is now firmly established as one of the leading potato growers, packers and processors in the country.

QV Foods director Simon Martin said: “The successful integration of MBM proved a catalyst for a complete change of direction at QV, which has taken a similar approach to other categories and actively pursued and developed combined commercial and growing relationships with like-minded businesses. Through strategic change and a lot of hard work with our suppliers and customers, we have successfully moved QV onto a different level and positioned ourselves as a route to market across all sectors of the fresh and processed fresh produce trade.”

The company is currently in the process of another major acquisition, of Taypack Potatoes in Scotland, which Martin said is the final piece in QV’s British potato jigsaw. “That purchase alone has added a large group of dedicated Scottish growers to our capacity and we are now strong in every major growing region of the UK. QV is therefore ideally positioned to lead our customers through the entire season, as one region’s crop follows another,” he added.

“We have a fantastic group of exclusive growers, who provide us with what we truly believe are the finest British new potatoes available. The consistency and quality of their product will be the key ingredient in the future success for our Inspire British New Potatoes brand and we will be going out to the regions to help growers communicate the British new potato message to the consumer.”

QV will participate at a number of regional shows in 2010 and is devising a strategy for 2011 that will see its customers benefit from a proactive approach to the marketplace - with a firm focus on being first-to-market with a fit-for-purpose portfolio of varieties. “Everyone will have read and heard about new potato shortages in recent weeks, but at QV, we have a season that runs from April through to October and with a wide variety of sources and options, we will always be well placed to ensure continuity of supply,” said Martin.

The company has already introduced a number of recognised potato brands into the UK market, including Chippies Choice, baby Pearl, Potato Lovers and the ‘Q’ British range, The Inspire range of ready-prepared vegetables was introduced to the UK retail market in 2007, and now sells more than 750,000 packs a week and is backed by MasterChef presenter and produce expert Gregg Wallace.

Notes for Editors:

THE INSPIRE RANGE

MasterChef presenter and ingredients expert Gregg Wallace is one of the QV team, as the face of its Inspire range of pre-prepared, ready-to-cook vegatables.

The Inspire brand promises seasonal produce at its best. It is currently listed by eight UK high-street retailers, and sold into and many of the leading food manufacturers and foodservice businesses.

Inspire follows the embedded QV principles of ‘quality and value’, while focusing on providing a great tasting experience and ensuring that the customer is at the forefront of product development and innovation.

The selection process for an Inspire-branded product is based upon unwavering quality specifications and values: the product must be in its natural season, the varieties must suit the intended consumer, and all products must be grown in accordance with ethical and environmental growing initiatives.

An innovative approach to product formats and pack sizes and configurations enables us to tailor our product offer to suit customers stocking both niche and mainstream fresh-prepared products.

All of this ensures that Inspire creates a valuable point of difference on the supermarket shelves.

The Inspire fresh and prepared portfolio is available year-round to the retail and foodservice sectors. At QV, our development team continues to drive innovation in new areas to ensure our consumer is, and always will be, Inspired.