A Herefordshire business is celebrating its busiest year yet with its long-standing partner Aldi.

S&A Produce is a family-owned, soft fruit specialist based in Herefordshire which has worked with the UK’s fourth largest supermarket since 2011.

This year, the business expects to sell 10 million punnets of strawberries in Aldi stores nationwide, more than triple the volume it supplied to Aldi just five years ago.

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The long-term partnership with Aldi has helped S&A Produce grow significantly as a business over the years, as well as enabling it to invest in pioneering technologies.

That includes bringing new strawberry varieties to market, including “Lady Emma”, and developing its research centre in south Wales to extend the seasonality of Welsh-grown strawberries between March and December.

Roger Vogels, soft fruit growing director at S&A Produce, said: “We are really proud of our partnership with Aldi and it is a pleasure to supply its customers with beautifully ripe fruit, all year round.

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“Our longstanding relationship with the supermarket has given us the confidence to invest in things that truly matter, like our supply chain, which helps us make sure we’re constantly growing and developing as a business.”

Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, said: “S&A Produce is an important supplier for Aldi, helping us provide customers with top-quality produce for over a decade.

“As we reach the middle of summer, it’s great to see customers enjoying the very best of British berries, and with S&A Produce we know we can keep up with demand year on year.”

In 2023, Aldi spent an additional £1.3 billion with British suppliers, and works with around 5,000 suppliers across the UK.