Potato suppliers collect top award

Jun 10 2009 by Gordon Robertson, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

POTATO supplier Albert Bartlett have s-mashed their competitors to scoop a prestigious award.

The Airdrie firm - one of the biggest employers in the town - took the coveted Packer of the Year gong at the 2009 Re:fresh awards.

They saw off fellow finalists QV Foods and Alfred G Pearce to win the award for the second year.

Albert Bartlett’s consistency, environmental excellence and attention to detail in the packaging sector won the judges over.

John Hicks, marketing manager and Gillian Kynoch, head of development and innovation, accepted the award on behalf of the firm.

Mr Hicks said: “At Albert Bartlett, we take great pride in being one of the UK’s leading fresh potato producers and work closely with all our growers and breeders to develop new varieties which will appeal to the customer’s needs.

“We have engaged consumers with varieties which deliver great taste and consistency, ensuring we help address the consumers’ need for quality, value and inspiration.”

Operating from three UK packing sites, Albert Bartlett supply Britain with one in six of its fresh potatoes, including Rooster, the UK’s leading fresh potato brand.

The firm also exclusively produce the popular Anya, Osprey and Vivaldi potato varieties.

Albert Bartlett was founded 60 years ago in Coatbridge as a one-man beetroot-boiling operation. Now they are the UK’s largest grower of root vegetables, employing just under 500 people locally.

The potato processing plant has won several environmental awards for its “innovative” water recycling process, which is 99 per cent self-sufficient as a result of an onsite water harvesting and treatment plant.