News & Events
Vegetable Grower of the Year 2015
Huntapac Awarded Vegetable Grower of the Year at the UK Grower Awards
On Wednesday 25th February 2015 a record 27 trophies were handed out at the UK Grower Awards 2015 which saw more than 400 guests gather to celebrate the very best in production horticulture. Steven Kay and Rachel Alty made the trip to represent Huntapac Produce on the night.
Judges for this year were British Grower Association's Jack Ward, crop consultants John Adlam, David Pennell, and Liz Copas, Stockbridge Technology Centre's Graham Ward, garden industry adviser Neville Stein and the National Association of Cider Makers' Richard Heathcote.
Several new awards were presented last night following an expansion in the crop sectors covered by the competition. The new awards were announced at the launch of the UK Grower Awards 2015 at last summer's Fruit Focus event by farming minister George Eustace.
Steven and Rachel were overwhelmed to hear Huntapac Produce had been awarded 'UK Vegetable Grower of the Year' and received the trophy on behalf of the company. Huntapac are immensely proud to win this prestigious award for the first time and it is a testimony to all the hard work put in by everyone at the company over the years.
Other big winners on the night included Thatchers Cider which followed up its win in the new category for cider growers by scooping the overall award for Fruit Grower of the Year.
Finally Majestic Trees, which won its category for Nursery Stock Grower of the Year, took home the overall award for Ornamental Grower of the Year.
National journalist and broadcaster Peter Seabrook won a standing ovation at the event after being presented with the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award.
The Winners in Full
- Edibles Grower of the Year: Fruit – Thatchers Cider
- Edibles Grower of the Year: Vegetables – LJ Betts
- Ornamentals Grower of the Year - Majestic Trees
- Vegetable Grower of the Year – Huntapac Produce
- Top Fruit Grower of the Year – Lower Hope Farms and Boxford (Suffolk) Farms
- Soft Fruit Grower of the Year – Littywood Farm
- Salads Grower of the Year – LJ Betts
- Protected Ornamentals Grower of the Year – RF Lawrence & Sons (Chrysanthemums Direct)
- Nursery Stock Grower of the Year – Majestic Trees
- Potato Grower of the Year – Corkers Crisps
- Grower of the Year – Viticulture – Carr Taylor Vineyards
- Specialist Fruit Grower of the year – Graham Caspell, East Malling Research
- Specialist Ornamentals Grower of the year – Brookfield Plants
- Best Business Innovation – Ball Colegrave
- David Piccaver Science Award – Stockbridge Technology Centre
- Top Sales/Marketing Professional – Thomas Stabler, Boningale Nurseries
- Best Environmental Initiative – Vitacress
- Young Grower of the Year – Robert Farthing
- Lifetime Achievement Award – Peter Seabrook
- Best Consumer Marketing Campaign, Brassica Growers Association's Love Your Greens by The Little Big Voice
- Best New Variety – Fruit – Driscolls Solero Strawberries, Berry Gardens
- Best New Variety – Salads/Vegetable – Syngenta Redarling Red Sprouts
- Best New Variety – Bedding/Pot Plants – Begonia F1 Majestic Sunburst, Ball Colegrave
- Best New Variety – Herbaceous Perennial – Eryngium Zabelli Neptune's Gold, Plants for Europe
- Best Agronomist – John Marcar
- Best Production Manager – Peter Bukowski, AC Goatham
March 3rd 2015
Huntapac Produce Ltd, 293 Blackgate Lane, Holmes, Preston, Lancashire, PR4 6JJ.
Telephone - 01772 280600
