Business booms for potato traders

Wholecrop Marketing naturally likes to get the cream of the crop, too. But it says its success has come from its efforts on behalf of the rest.

One of its founders, Mark Tomlinson, sums up: "The top money is in perfect spuds. But they are the easiest to sell and what growers want is value from all grades. Every farmer has his share of vegetables which are perfectly good food but get downgraded as too big or too small or damaged in harvesting or born not too pretty.

"We know where to find the markets for those and that is why we called ourselves Wholecrop Marketing."

Suppliers of ready-cooked and filled baked potatoes would accept some roughness in skin quality, he said, because they were selling on the look of the flesh. Makers of chips and crisps and ready meals were also in the market for less-than-perfect potatoes.

"But even with premium potatoes, you need to know what is going on," he said. "Supply and demand is being affected all the time, by seasonal demand and special promotions. The trick is the right potato for the right job. Farmers don't have time for that but we are passionate about it.

"We can't promise we will always get the best price, but then nobody can. One client was offered 130 a tonne for a consignment we could only get 110 for. We held our hands up. On the other hand, another client was offered 40 a tonne ex-farm and we told him to hold on and got him 100. The word of mouth on that sort of thing has done us a lot of good."

The business had benefited, he said, from a feeling that established traders sometimes did not try hard enough to get best prices all down the line.

Wholecrop Marketing is moving into new offices, after 18 months in Portakabins on a member's farm at Middleton on the Wolds, and has added a client list stretching into Scotland to the founder members of the co-op.

Mark Tomlinson and David Burks, both experienced potato traders, got a Yorkshire Forward grant of 30,000 to help them set it up, in 2008, along with eight growers. Philip Dunn, of Brown & Co. at Brigg, negotiated the grant and now cha-irs the board of 10 founder-directors, who all invested an equal stake and will eventually share in profits.

Mr Tomlinson and Mr Burks run the business day-to-day and take a salary from the earnings. About three dozen more farmers are now selling all or part of their crops through the co-op, which organises grading and packing as necessary and supplies agronomic advice. Next year, it expects to sell 98,000 tonnes, making it a substantial player. It has also found new business for the Yorkshire Wolds in seed potatoes, for which local conditions are ideal. The full-time staff has grown from three to six.

For contact details see www.wholecropmarketing.co.uk or call 01377 217873.

CW 24/7/10