TRADE AND MARKETING Nematodes change UK market in supplying potatoes in 25 kg paper bags to a section of the approximately 10,000 fish & chips shops in Great Britain. Mitchell delivers 1,000 tons of potatoes a week. Moreover, he distributes 80 tons of peeled and cut French fries to a large number of his customers. As the chips must be fresh, the good quality of the unpeeled product is and remains highly important. Prominent varieties within his potato range, besides the old, well-known Maris Piper, are modern varieties such as: Markies, Ramos, Cabaret, Challenger, Fontane, Agria, Fianna, en Sagitta. The biggest variety is still the Maris Piper. British Potato Council figures show that over 18,500 hectares of this free variety were grown in Great Britain in recent years. This variety is followed up this year – at a distance – by the Dutch protected variety Markies from Agrico, with 6,748 hectares. Mitchell buys his potatoes from contracted English growers and imports a considerable amount from the European mainland. Important supplying countries are the Netherlands, Belgium, Northern-France, Spain and Cyprus. ‘This import is necessary because the quality of the British potatoes is often no longer good enough in the spring’, Mitchell points out. Despite the fact that many of his customers prefer potatoes from English soil. ‘Buy British’ is high on the order list. ‘Because of our losing part of the 2012 harvest, we had to import as much as 40 percent of our needs, as compared to approximately 25 percent normally. An important Dutch supplier for him is Aviko. The price of potatoes fluctuates during the year. At the end of August, the price was between GBP 3 and 6 per 25 kilograms. The cheapest potatoes are of the poorest quality. As soon as the harvest season starts, the price of the potatoes drops, because many growers have no storage facilities. They have to deliver, which results in a drop in price. This usually continues until the first frost sets in, after which potatoes come from storage. Mitchell knows exactly what quality of product each of his customers want, which means he can provide a market for most of them. The potatoes are partly packaged by Mitchell himself and partly by his growers. They package the potatoes in 25 kg paper bags and deliver them on pallets to Mitchell, who then takes them to the fish & chips shops. Ten years ago, the Markies was launched. This is a variety that yields high and stores well, so it is more readily available throughout the year than the British varieties. This has led to a considerable increase in the variety. ‘Some customers are not completely happy with the taste, and are looking for other varieties that do better on that score. This means that there will be opportunities for other varieties. An example is the Ramos’, Mitchell says. ‘The annual turnover of this variety increases every year. Not only because of its taste, but also because it’s an attractive variety for the growers. This year, the Ramos already constitutes 25 percent of our turnover. For us, Ramos will be a name with which we can really stand out in the market. As to taste, it resembles the old Maris Piper variety, which also gives that soft sensation in the mouth. ‘As a result of the traditional storage systems in Great Britain, potatoes dry out too much’, Peter Hewett knows. ‘Fish & chips varieties that can tolerate the storage system have ample opportunity to expand here.’ It is important to provide good quality. The number of sales outlets is decreasing every year. The competition with McDonald and other fast-food chains is intensifying. ‘The only way fish & chips shops can stand out is with the taste and that’s why we should supply them with the right varieties. Fish & chips are part of British culture, and the competition with fast-food chains is growing’, Hewett has noticed. Distinctive due to taste One of the restaurants that wants to excel with taste is the Brownsover Fish Bar in Rugby. Owner Andrew Thrasyvoulou won the best Fish & Chips shop award a few years ago. A walk around the shop shows how well-organised everything is. Thrasyvoulou emphasises that the taste of the chips is very important to his customers. The large number of customers that frequent the shop at lunch time show that he’s running a highly successful business. A taste test during a fast lunch proves that the quality of his fish & chips is still very good. ● Jaap Delleman Thrasyvoulou emphasises that the taste of the chips is very important for his customers. Potato World 2013 • number 4 23 Pagina 22
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