Marchwood Store Manager

Supplier spotlight: New Forest Fruit Company

Posted on by Adam Page

It’s June! And the time is “ripe” for soft fruits. In our latest supplier spotlight, we spoke to East Boldre’s New Forest Fruit about sustainability pledges, technology-firsts to introduce new ways of farming using traditional methods, and even robot pickers.

Nestled in the heart of the beautiful New Forest National Park, there is a special kind of fruit farm, aptly called New Forest Fruit. The farm is situated over three sites which span eighty hectares.

CEO Sandy Booth

New Forest Fruit is now in its thirteenth year of trading

The main crop is strawberries, which are sold to leading supermarkets, local farm shops, restaurants and greengrocers. A small amount of raspberries and blueberries are also grown, but these are only sold locally. The company is led by owner Sandy Booth who has been involved with NFF since 2008, fully taking over as CEO in 2018. Sandy’s team consists of several close-knit departments that cover every aspect of the business and give the company the feel of being family-run.

Like many businesses, the New Forest Fruit farm is embracing technology

It became the first company in the UK to be involved in trials of traceability technology – a process that allows businesses to track food at every single stage of the production process. They also use robots used to apply a UV treatment for mildew at night. Not only is technology being used to improve and enhance the soft fruit but it’s also helped address other areas of the business too.

New Forest Fruit is trialling robot pickers!

It means the fruit can be picked at the perfect time, and the business isn’t hindered by labour shortages – something else that affects so many fruit farms like theirs. Being a home-grown British fruit farm, the team at New Forest Fruit takes its eco-friendly pledge very seriously. The company recently produced a sustainability report to highlight all the measures implemented to support this.

The environment is at the heart of all the decisions made

Some of these measures include a management system for all the hedgerows on the farm so that wildlife corridors are maintained and can provide shelter. This includes laying 240m of hedgerow this year. There are also bat and bird boxes around the farm. This season there have been 3000 apple trees planted to promote the biosphere in and around the farm. Three on-site reservoirs to ensure it uses its water supply, which limits the amount that’s taken from the rivers. Plus, rain gutters on the strawberry tunnels feed directly back to the reservoir. The farm uses Integrated Farm Management, which is marrying traditional techniques of farming with the latest innovations and enabling a whole farm approach.

Plus a brand new product has been launched this month that uses any second-class fruit which is turned into a delicious ‘pulsed’ dried strawberry snack! Pulsed dried is special as these berries will rehydrate when added to a glass of champagne, sparkling wine or gin & tonic. They also come in compostable packaging.

Photo credit: Monika Grabkowska

These are available to buy in Welcome Brockenhurst and more information is available at newforestfruitsnacks.com

If that wasn’t enough, the farm has also invested in three electric vehicles and two electric forklifts. Some on-site solar panels provide electricity to the Packshed and they recycle and reuse everything they can – all the coir from the strawberry crops is reused for the early-season asparagus.

What is the best thing about working with Welcome Stores?

“Welcome genuinely champions other local businesses and has created little hubs across the forest for people to access local produce. Also, their business values regarding sustainability and the environment align with the values held at NFF. Both businesses want to protect the environment.”

You can find New Forest Fruit’s juicy, perfectly ripe sweet-scented strawberries & also the brand new Pulsed Strawberry snacks on sale at your local Welcome store. You can also learn more about New Forest Fruit on newforestfruit.com or newforestfruitsnacks.com.    

Do you want to make a difference?

Posted on by Adam Page

The summer is here and for many it’s a time for change. Plenty of us go on holiday and dread that back-to-work feeling. Others are looking to reduce their hours to spend more time doing what they love, or even increase them as our circumstances change.

Does this sound like you?

If so, we might have just the opportunity! Serving our community is at the heart of what we do and as a convenience store, you will get to know all the locals living in your area. You never know, you might make a friend or two, or find out about a new local activity you never knew about before!

Working at Welcome is extremely rewarding.

As well as playing your part in a team that keeps busy stores thriving, our six shops are now part of the Southern Co-op – a long-established brand that dates back to December 1872.

Back then, 30 people attended a public meeting and unanimously agreed to pay one shilling to establish a local Co-operative. Back then, the Co-Operative Society was formed by dockyard workers to tackle exploitation and inequality, and 5 months later, the Portsea Island Mutual Co-operative Society’s first shop opened in Charles Street on 9 May 1873.

There was recently a special edition of the Portsmouth News, which included a pull-out section on Southern CoOp’s beginnings as part of its 150th birthday in May – you can read it here.

Since then, there’s been loads of changes – but some things stay the same

Our shops look a little different now compared to 150 years ago, and thankfully we’ve moved away from the exploitation of workers in this country from centuries ago.

But we still exist to make a difference and you can see from our sustainability pledge how we plan to tackle climate change by introducing Zero Waste stores and using local suppliers, which in turn reduces our carbon footprint and supports some of our great local businesses – and the economy too!

Even though we are no longer funded by dockyard workers, we are still very much owned by our members to this day – and that’s why being part of our local community is so important. As one of our colleagues, you can make a difference to that community today, while also being part of yesterday’s legacy.

You will be rewarded with competitive pay and staff discounts in both Welcome and Southern Co-Operative stores. What’s more, you’ll get access to a portal that will give you even more discounts and cashback when shopping at other retailers, including travel and leisure, home, DIY, sports, restaurants and cafes – and more!

Hear what a colleague has to say!

“I love working at Welcome stores. Not only do you meet so many interesting people from around the community, no two days are the same. The helpful, friendly teams working in the stores make them feel like community hubs. There is always a customer in the store who you recognise and they treat us like thier own extended friendship network, telling us about their day as well as other things going on in their lives. I also like the way Welcome stores give back to the community with sponsorships and charity initiatives. It really is a great, fullfilling and wholesome place to work.“

Becky – Marchwood store

Where do I sign?

We’d absolutely love to hear from you and if you’d like to work with us, simply pop into your local Welcome store with a copy of your CV and covering letter or apply online. You can view all of our current vacancies, along with more details of hours, pay, benefits and locations on our jobs page here.

We look forward to welcoming you, to the Welcome family!

Supplier Spotlight: The Tomato Stall, Isle of Wight

Posted on by Adam Page

British Tomato Fortnight runs from 29th May to 11th June – and what better way to celebrate than by talking to our very own British tomato growers and Welcome stores’ supplier, The Tomato Stall, otherwise known as Isle Of Wight Tomatoes.

Beginning life just over 15 years ago when team tomato headed off to their first farmers market, customers quickly realised that The Tomato Stall had some of the best produce around.

Of course, team tomato, based at Tomato Stall’s HQ in Arreton on the Isle of Wight, will not give away all their trade secrets. But, they say the island is the perfect place for tomato growing because the weather and climate allows for plenty of variety and most flavourful fruits.

In fact, the Isle of Wight is one of the sunniest places to live – and you need plenty of sunshine for the tastiest tomatoes. According to Met Office data, the Isle of Wight sees the most hours of sunshine each year, with 1,923 hours recorded in 2022. Plus, the Island gets an average of 37 hours of sunshine per week – far outstripping the rest of the UK’s 29-hour average.

But, apart from producing some of the best-tasting fruit, what is it that’s so great about the Tomato Stall? Well first, they are all about zero waste – and that’s a massive tick in the box for us!

Welcome Stores is fully committed to its sustainability pledge to reduce our carbon footprint wherever possible. We’re proud that two of our six stores now have zero waste stations, which means our customers can bring along their reusable containers and fill them up with everyday things like cleaners, soaps and even cereal and milk. Plus, all our stores recycle packaging and plastic, and use energy-saving features such as efficient LED lighting and doors.

Using local suppliers is also a key part of that sustainability pledge, as it reduces the need to transport goods far and wide – plus, there’s nothing quite like enjoying products from within a stone’s throw of our front door!

Similarly to Welcome Stores, The Tomato Stall is passionate about its commitment to the environment. All tomato plants are recycled to create rich compost that enriches the organic soil to grow even more yummy tomatoes. The tomato farm also uses rainwater harvesting features so that it stores rain to irrigate crops all year round.

If that wasn’t enough, the Isle of Wight itself is an accredited biosphere reserve – making it an even-more-perfect location for growing fruit. It allows for things like natural predators to balance ecosystems, and control pests without the use of chemicals that can be harmful to humans and the planet.

So if you’re a bit of a tomato fan, you might want to head down to your local Welcome store where you can find everything from the delicious fruit itself to pestos and passatas.

You can also find lots of inspiring tomato recipes on our website, or head to http://www.thetomatostall.co.uk/ to find out more about the Tomato Stall!

Rainbow frozen fruit kebabs

Posted on by Adam Page

Freshen up with these fruity treats — the tangy lemon curd and yogurt dip is a game-changer!

  • Feeds 24Feeds 24
  • Ready in 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 300g pack Co-op melon & mango fingers
  • 1 kiwi fruit, peeled
  • 24 blueberries
  • 12 red or black grapes, halved
  • 200g Co-op Greek style natural yogurt
  • 1 tbsp Co-op lemon curd
  • You‘ll also need 24 cocktail sticks

Method

  1. Cut the melon and mango into even pieces — you’ll need 24 pieces of mango and 24 of both types of melon
  2. Cut the kiwi into 24 similarly sized pieces
  3. Thread one piece of both types of melon, mango and kiwi onto each cocktail stick
  4. Finish with a blueberry and a half-grape
  5. Put the mini fruit kebabs on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and freeze for 2 hours, or until frozen
  6. Put the yogurt in a bowl and swirl through the lemon curd
  7. Serve with the frozen kebabs

Each serving contains

  • Energy 1%105kj 25kcal
  • Fat Med 1%1g
  • Saturates Med 3% 0.6g
  • Sugar Med 4% 3.3g
  • Salt Low 0%0.01g

% of adult’s reference intake | Carbohydrates per serving : 4g

Fish finger wraps

Posted on by Adam Page

Everyone will love this great new way to enjoy a family favourite.

  • Feeds 4Feeds 4
  • Ready in 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 8 fish fingers
  • 1/2 x 300g tub Co-op creamy coleslaw
  • 250g bag Co-op sweet & crunchy salad
  • 4 large Co-op plain tortilla wraps

Method

  1. Cook the fish fingers in the oven according to the pack instructions
  2. Divide the coleslaw, followed by 80g of the salad, between the wraps
  3. Slice the cooked fish fingers and divide between the wraps
  4. Roll up each wrap and slice it in half
  5. Serve with the remaining salad

Each serving contains

  • Energy 20%1666kj 398kcal
  • Fat Med 25%17.4g
  • Saturates Low 13%2.6g
  • Sugar Low 6%5g
  • Salt Med 21%1.25g

% of adult’s reference intake | Carbohydrates per serving : 45g