Show Sponsor: Hutchinsons Jonathan Blackman
Investing in people to meet future demands The 90th year of the Fruit Show coincides with the 85th anniversary of Hutchinsons, two big milestones during a period of enormous change for the horticultural sector. While celebrating such achievements, we must continue looking to the future, to navigate the challenges and opportunities coming decades present. Hutchinsons is doing exactly this, by investing in a significant expansion of its horticultural team to meet the growing demands for multi-faceted agronomy services. Eight new members have joined in the past two years alone, with a particular focus on supporting the rapidly growing vineyard sector. Wine GB figures show the UK vine hectarage has more than quadrupled since 2000, to over 4,000 ha in 2022, with Kent, Sussex, Essex, and Hampshire, leading the way, although grapes are being grown across England and Wales. 38
With many growers venturing into viticulture for the first time, there is a clear need for specialist support, not just during the crucial site selection and planting phase, but throughout the establishment of mature, productive vineyards. Our agronomists are central to delivering this, but so too are the specialist environmental, soils, and digital services teams that support them, especially as the demands on producers increase from many angles. Hutchinsons has also expanded these teams, reflecting growers’ needs to better understand soils, maximise production, and meet tighter environmental requirements, or tap into new stewardship schemes, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).
