Two of Scotland’s longest established fresh produce organisations, East of Scotland Growers (ESG) and R&K Drysdales, have completed a merger and created an additional growing business, Pease Bay Farms.
ESG is a farmer-owned cooperative with its main offices based in Cupar. The collective of 15 growers produces vegetable crops, including broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages, carrots, onions and asparagus. The members’ farms are based in Fife, Angus, Perthshire, Kincardinshire and the Borders – producing more than 6,000 acres of Scottish brassicas.
RKD is the UK’s largest Brussels sprout grower and packer, with one of the high output grading, packing and storage facilities in Europe. In addition to sprouts, RKD also grows and packs swede and leeks at facilities in Berwickshire.
A statement explained that the merger complements the winter cropping of RKD to the summer cropping portfolio of ESG, creating a sustainable, year-round producer. Amalgamating the growing regions should also create opportunities for farmers in Berwickshire, the Borders, Lothians, Fife, Angus, Kincardineshire and Perthshire, through the not for profit farmers’ cooperative.
Andrew Faichney, managing director at ESG, said: “This merger is very unique within Scotland and combines two firms with a longstanding history of high-quality produce.
“With a collective turnover approaching £50m, this merger provides stability and security for our membership and will provide an additional range of products and value to our customer base.”
ESG and RKD have established Pease Bay Farms to grow brassica crops across more than 1,000 acres of land, growing exclusively for the merger and joining ESG as a member of the producer organisation.
The merger deal was managed by Alistair Lang, lead partner in the ventures and innovation team at Thorntons.
“Agriculture is a vital contributing sector to the Scottish economy and effective and strategic partnerships are key component to its ongoing success,“ he commented. “With both ESG and RKD achieving great things, facilitating the merger and creation of Pease Bay Farms can only be positive for the industry.”
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