Vitacress, watercress production - geograph

Vitacress Salads Ltd. is an agriculture company headquartered in St Mary Bourne,

Andover, Hampshire Andover ( ) is a town in the English county of Hampshire. The town is on the River Anton, a major tributary of the Test, and is situated alongside the major A303 trunk road at the eastern end of Salisbury Plain, west of the town of Basi ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a fully owned subsidiary of Portugal-based company

Grupo RAR Grupo RAR, one of Portugal’s leading business groups, comprises a portfolio of diversified businesses in the areas of packaging, food, real estate and services. With a turnover in 2019, of 781 million euros and 4,228 employees, RAR Group is prese ...

. The company, which was founded in the 1950s by Malcolm Isaac, is Europe's largest provider of

watercress Watercress or yellowcress (''Nasturtium officinale'') is a species of aquatic flowering plant in the cabbage family Brassicaceae. Watercress is a rapidly growing perennial plant native to Europe and Asia. It is one of the oldest known leaf v ...

, and also grows and packages washed rocket ( arugula), spinach, and other baby salad greens. Beyond salad, the company also produces and distributes freshly harvested new potatoes. In addition to the UK, Vitacress has its own farms in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. Vitacress supplies retailers and foodservice operators in several markets.

History

The company, was founded in 1951 by Malcolm Isaac. In 1959, the watercress cultivation estate of Eliza James, known as 'the Watercress Queen of Covent Garden', was sold to Vitacress Salads Ltd. In addition to the UK, Vitacress started operations in Portugal and Spain. Vitacress supplied retailers in the UK under their own brand (JSainsbury or Marks & Spencers). In Portugal and Spain, in order to diversify the risk and as a way to combat the slowing of the UK Washed & Ready To Eat salad market, Vitacress decided to launch its own brand (from

Odemira Odemira ( or ) is a town and a municipality in Beja District in the Portuguese region of Alentejo. The population in 2011 was 26,066, in an area of 1720.60 km2, making it the largest municipality of Portugal by area. It is famous for its wi ...

). In 2007 Vitacress had a turnover of £81m and employed around 1,000 people. On July 1, 2008, Portuguese company

RAR Group Grupo RAR, one of Portugal’s leading business groups, comprises a portfolio of diversified businesses in the areas of packaging, food, real estate and services. With a turnover in 2019, of 781 million euros and 4,228 employees, RAR Group is prese ...

reportedly bought Vitacress for £52.5 Million.

References

External links

Official website
Companies based in Hampshire Agriculture companies of the United Kingdom {{Food-product-stub

History

See also

References

External links