June our focus was on processing.
We visited McCain in the morning who gave us information about their place in the market as the largest UK purchaser of potatoes, the 104% increase in the volume of processed potatoes consumed per person from 1974 to 2013 and Mccain’s investment in product innovations such as their ready baked jackets and peri peri fries. Matt Stubbings, a fieldsman from McCain, who is also on the course, told us about the emphasis McCain puts on agronomy and working closely with growers.
We were then given a walk through tour of the factory and the journey the potatoes take starting as the raw product and ending as McDonalds fries.
That afternoon we visited RS Cockerill, where Martin Cockerill explained how the business developed from growing and trading potatoes and carrots in the 1930s. He spoke about Walkers being a major customer for them, with their tonnage representing one out of every six packs sold in the UK.
Gary Collins from PepsiCo UK told is about the ways they are working with Cockerill to deliver a fifty percent reduction in carbon and water use as part of the Pepsico fifty in five programme.
Bryonie