UK retailer Asda is partnering with producer Scotty Brand in Scotland to give customers more than 200 tonnes of sweet strawberries in 200 stores nationwide during the summer.
Asda reports Bruce Farms in Perthshire and its Scotty Brand were fortunate to have a vast amount of open space to adhere to during Covid-19, the necessary social distancing requirements during the picking and packaging process.
“We’re always on the look out for the best quality products to provide to our customers, and we’ve certainly secured the sweetest berry with these Scottish strawberries,” Liam Richards, Berry Technologist at Asda, said. “We’re delighted that Asda can share Scotty Brand strawberries nationwide and continue to support produce farmers in the UK.”
Light, fertile soil, long summer days and mild nights will provide ideal conditions for growing the berries. Bruce Farms says temperate conditions lead to slightly slower ripening, thus producing sweeter and juicier strawberries.
“We’ve been growing berries for 25 years and the growing conditions this year have been perfect,” Geoff Bruce, director of Bruce Farms, said. “Strawberries take about 75 days to ripen in Scotland compared to about 60 days in England and about 45 days in Spain. This is all down to the Scottish weather and climate. The longer the ripening – the better the flavour.”
Strawberries from Scotty Brand, which has been serving customers for more than 70 years, are available in 300g punnets throughout the UK for £1.79.
