Fresh Produce Consortium announces winners

The Fresh Produce Consortium, the trade association uniting the fresh produce industry, has announced the winners of its 2023 Fresh Produce Consortium Awards.

The FPC Fresh Awards 2023, widely known as the Oscars of the fresh produce industry, took place at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Friday, September 29.

Hosted by celebrity food writer Jay Rayner, the gala evening saw an unprecedented number of attendees gather to celebrate excellence and honour the heroes of the fresh produce, cut flower, and plants sectors.

The event was a resounding success, featuring a star-studded list of winners who have made significant contributions to the industry.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon Martin Hudson, a stalwart in the field, while Flamingo was named the Fresh Produce Business of the Year.

The Rising Star of the Year award went to Raviteja Burugu of Wootzano, and Emma Dawes of Driscoll’s was honoured as Manager of the Year.

Blue Skies won both the Best Place to Work and the Sustainability Excellence Ethical Award. Clarifruit and GrowUp Farms were also recognised for their sustainability efforts, winning the Supply Chain and Climate awards, respectively.

Sony bagged the Agritech Excellence Award, and G’s Growers took home the Innovation Excellence Award.

In the retail and supply chain categories, Aldi and Marks & Spencer were voted as the Multiple Fruit & Veg and Floral Retailers of the Year, respectively.

The Co-op was named Convenience Retailer of the Year, while Asda and Bloom & Wild were in turn crowned Online Retailers of the Year for fruit & veg and floral.

MorePeople won Team of the Year, and Dole UK was recognised for its outstanding HR Initiative of the Year.

The Best Marketing Campaign award went to Red Tractor, highlighting the power of effective storytelling in the industry.The event was made possible by the generous support of its sponsors, including PML Seafrigo, Waddington Europe, Smurfit Kappa, The Embassy of The Netherlands in the UK, World Horti Center, IFCO, FLANDRIA, VEGANUARY, and many others who are all committed to fostering excellence in the industry.

The judges’ comments throughout the evening reflected the high standards and innovative practices that are shaping the future of the industry. Voters’ comments also played a crucial role in determining the winners in retail categories, emphasising consumer satisfaction and quality.

Foodservice provider Fresh Direct was named the Wholesale Fruit and Veg Supplier of the Year at the recent Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC) Awards.

More than 700 suppliers were competing for top honour at the prestigious awards.

Winners

Multiple Fruit and Veg Retailer of the Year: Aldi

Multiple Floral Retailer of the Year: M&S

Convenience Retailer of the Year: Co-op

Online Fruit and Veg Retailer of the Year: Asda

Supermarket Fruit and Veg Supplier of Year: AC Goatham

UK Grower of the Year: FreshGro

International Grower of the Year: Belorta

Fresh Produce Business of the Year: Flamingo Group International for its work in the floral industry as the Winner of Winners in the Supply, Chain, Retail and Business Excellence categories.

Rising Star of the Year: Ravi Burugu, Wootzano

Manager of the Year: Emma Dawes, Driscoll’s

Best Place to Work: Blue Skies, which also won the Ethical Award from FPC

Supply Chain Award (Sustainability Excellence): Clarifruit

Agritech Excellence Award (Innovation): Sony

Innovation Excellence Award: G’s Growers

Wholesaler/Plant Supplier of the Year: The Horthouse

Supermarket/Plant Floral Supplier of the Year: Flamingo Horticulture

Foodservice Supplier of the Year: Mark Murphy Edinburgh

Climate Award: Growup Farms

Business Service Provider: Smurfit Kappa

Team of the Year: MorePeople

HR Initiative of the Year (DEI): Dole UK

Lifetime Achievement Award: Martin Hudson

For more information about the FPC Fresh Awards 2023 and a complete list of winners and sponsors, please visit FPC Fresh Awards Website.

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