Growth in sales at North Yorkshire organic farm
Riverford Organic Farmers, which has a site near Northallerton, is expecting further growth after the sector experienced a 6% growth in the market in 2017.
The firm, which grows and delivers veg boxes throughout the North, said it was the sixth year of growth for the organic market with sales rising to a record £2.2bn across the UK.
Riverford’s northern farm, Home Farm at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, is one of four Riverford farms countrywide which together produce and deliver the company’s veg boxes to more than 50,000 homes each week.
According to a report on the sector, for 2017, sales of organic products in supermarkets rose by 4.2%, while home delivery services like Riverford saw a 9.7% rise.
The amount of farmland in conversion to organic also rose by 22%, as growers responded to the growing demand for organic food.
Greg Penn, business development manager at Riverford said: “This is really good news for us. Like the rest of the organic industry, Riverford has seen year on year growth with new customer numbers and weekly deliveries. It seems more and more people are recognising organic food for its health benefits, assurance of trust and traceability, and also as a more environmentally friendly way to buy food and support a sustainable farming system.
“Sustainability is one of the main reasons Riverford has farmed organically for over 30 years now. Since day one the business has believed in a better way of producing food and it’s so reassuring to see others are catching on too.”
