J.O. Sims are thrilled to announce the start of the UK cherry harvest at their Broomfield Ridge farm in Elmbridge, Worcestershire. Despite a record-breaking number of frost events in April and May, early indications show that fruit size and quality look excellent and a successful season beckons.

The Broomfield Ridge farm has enabled J.O. Sims to provide their retail clients with locally sourced, fresh cherries; something which is of increasing importance to both retailers and consumers alike, in a bid to reduce their contribution to the carbon footprint.

Emma Raper, Marketing and Innovation Manager at J.O. Sims commented “J.O. Sims recognises the need to offer UK season fruit in the cherry supply calendar to support its customers ambitions to present locally sourced cherries where possible.”

Broomfield Ridge is the latest addition to J.O. Sims’ network of cherry farms around the world, including: Chile, Spain, USA, Canada and South Africa. The demand for year-round cherries continues within the UK and extending the traditional UK cherry season has been a focus for the company, as they look to achieve their goal of 52-week availability of high-quality fresh cherries.

J.O. Sims Managing Director, Christopher Sims commented “Since taking on the running of the farm at the start of March we have assembled a fantastic team who have been able to put in place a number of improvements on site, calling upon the expertise of our network of growers across the globe. This has enabled the Broomfield Ridge team to improve productivity and yields from the site.”

Christopher continued “We are extremely excited to be able to offer our UK retail customers cherries from our first UK farming venture and look forward to the successful season ahead.”

Despite a two-week delay in harvest, the Spalding based J.O. Sims are expecting to reap the rewards of successful cherry season against the odds, owing to the unique insights and expertise of the wider J.O. Sims agronomic team.