Cambridgeshire-based salad grower G’s has formed a partnership with United States-based food manufacturer LiDestri Foods to further expand its Love Beets range of beetroot products.
G’s growers, and husband and wife team, Guy and Katherine Shropshire first introduced the Love Beets brand, which features marinated baby beets, cooked beets, snack trays, beet juices and two organic products, to the US five years ago.
They were prompted to import the products to the US from the UK after the Love Beets range was very well received at New York’s Fancy Food Show in 2010.
Since then it has, as the Shropshire’s suspected, been a hit amongst US consumers – although the expansion to the US has required G’s to ship its packed products all the way from the UK.
G’s has therefore decided to work with LiDestri Foods to create a new manufacturing facility in Rochester, New York.
The partnership will enable beets imported from the UK to be processed and packed in the US. It will also give G’s the opportunity to use beets from local US growers.
A G’s representative said in a statement: “Our joint manufacturing venture, a 100,000 square foot processing facility on the old Kodak campus, will begin operation in November 2015 and will process and package our fresh, marinated and organic beets and beet products. This cooperative endeavor will create 50 new full-time positions in Rochester by the end of 2015, and up to 140 jobs in the next five years.”
“We are so excited to begin this chapter, as it illustrates our commitment to local farmers, to supporting organic growing strategies, and to vertically integrating our production to be as efficient and eco-friendly as possible.
As well supplying the US, G’s supplies salad products to all major supermarkets across the EU.