Political opinion: Chichester grower marches forward with a Spring strawberry

JESS Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Chichester, couldn’t resist saying YES when given the chance to try the first strawberry crop of the year from The Summer Berry Company’s glasshouses.

"It's exciting to see a company such as the Summer Berry Company finding ways to innovate, grow sustainably and embracing technology which could change the sector in years to come. Their strawberries, in mid-march, tasted like a summer's day, which was a welcome taste after the last few months of rain!" she said.

The Summer Berry Company grows blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries outdoors, in glasshouses and in polytunnels on Chichester’s coastal plain and in Portugal. Based in Colworth, just south of Chichester, the company produces over 10,000 tonnes of berries a year.

Using innovative technologies including robotics together with green energy solutions and water efficiency techniques it aims to produce berries all year round, reducing its seasonal reliance and to meet growing demand.

“Chichester has some of the highest quality agricultural land in the country and is home to many excellent businesses from the agriculture and horticulture sector, some of whom are pioneering new technology to make our food production sector more resilient and competitive,’ said Jess.