about us

welcome to the Co-operative Farms

The Co-operative currently farms around 50,000 acres of land in England and Scotland, the equivalent of about 25,000 football pitches! We have been farming since 1896, when we bought our first farm to grow potatoes for our food stores, giving us over 100 years of farming expertise. Although methods of farming have changed and technology has progressed beyond recognition, the same principles of responsible farming, good land management, good people management and care for the environment still apply today.

find out more about our farming history.

packing

In 2006 we bought our first pack house at Langley Brook, Tamworth. Here we wash and pack potatoes grown on our own farms and by other Co-operative approved growers. We have since acquired two more packing facilities, another potato packhouse at Carnoustie, Angus and a broccoli and strawberry packhouse at Longforgan, Dundee. This ensures we can oversee more of the supply chain to give our customers the very best quality assurance.

grown by us

For the first time since we began supplying food to Co-operative stores a branded Co-operative Farms range of food was launched in 2007.

“Grown by us” is an expanding range of seasonal British fruit and vegetables, cereals and ambient lines. Our customers are increasingly concerned about the origin of their food.  The Co-operative has a unique position as a leading British farmer and retailer, therefore we can assure our customers that our Grown by us range is of the highest quality. We don’t just work closely with farmers, we are the famers!

Please visit Grown by us for details of our full product range.

technology

We operate a fleet of some of the most advanced machinery available. The combine harvester fleet is run as a central pool, whereby we can keep these expensive machines working at full capacity during harvest.  We were early adopters of minimal cultivation practices, and wide tramline width self-propelled sprayers. We’ve also harnessed technology and research in taking care of the environment. As environmental concerns heighten we were the first farming business to take positive steps to address this and train other farmers.

our people

In 1965 The Co-operative Farms introduced a management training scheme, which we still run today. It recognises the importance of investing in our people and developing skills and talent to produce the best farm managers.

We’ve made major investments in accommodation and facilities for our seasonal workers and we continue to look for ways that we can better support and develop our staff. In recent years we have won numerous awards for our training and our health and safety programme is one of the most highly regarded in the industry.