Contract Tomato Growers. We’re a Family Run Hydroponic Speciality Tomato Producer that supports Britain with over 13 Million Delicious Tomatoes year on year.
OUR HISTORY
The families’ roots originate back to Sicily where the first-generation family members initially grew olives and lemons.
English born Antonio Magistro started out in 1977 as a second- generation family member where he eventually took over and expanded the business. At that time we operated in the heart of the Italian community in the South of England, known as the Lea Valley, where we grew and packaged cucumbers and peppers for the London markets.
Expansion plans led to the relocation of the family’s operation to the East Riding of Yorkshire in 1993, where we continued to evolve and increase our offering to consumers in the UK through growing demand from retailers, caterer’s and markets. We became one of the largest award winning fresh produce suppliers during Antonio’s service and operated the equivalent area of 45 football pitches of glasshouse production with a wide range of fresh produce on offer.
Vincent Magistro later followed on from his fathers footsteps as a third- generation family member, joining the business full time in 2008, taking control of its day to day operations from 2013.
Solely focused on a speciality tomato offering we reduced the portfolio of our growing area and continue to operate our sixteen acre modern glasshouse facility which nurtures a variety of speciality tomato crops for consumption within the United Kingdom.
SUSTAINABLE FARMING
We continue to invest in new technology, innovation and ways to be as efficient and resourceful as possible. Building on decades of experience, generations of growing and investment in technological advancements we are able to produce fresh, sustainably grown British tomatoes that are both visually vibrant and flavoursome.
The business actively monitors and documents it’s carbon credentials and practice’s sustainable farming. Purpose built reservoirs are dedicated for rainfall harvesting which is used to irrigate our crops. Green energy sources such as woodchip biomass production is used to support and nurture our heat intensive crops and also mitigates our reliance on fossil fuels. Our electricity requirements are also met by renewable means. The desire to be sustainable has enabled us to reduce our carbon footprint and impact on the planet.
WORKING WITH NATURE
Wildflower meadows have been introduced to our site to improve biodiversity with bees and butterflies in mind. Artificial roosts have been placed on trees to support the needs of residential bats. Birds benefit from manmade tree-mounted houses, feed and water whilst our Owl nest box boasts ideal hunting grounds with large open areas.
Native bumble bees pollinate our tomato plants alongside the introduction of biological controls and pheromones which are incorporated within the nursery as a preventative measure against the use of pesticides. The commitment to our Integrated Pest Management principles allows us to both proactively and reactively use good bugs known as biological control and pheromones to reduce the likelihood of crop loss, fruit damage, use of pesticides and environmental impact.
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Here at Yorkshire Grown Produce, we are conscious that the customer expects a high quality product throughout the season. Strict technical policies and specifications are adhered to, covering aspects such as geographical location, choice of seed, fertilisers, pesticides, use of irrigation systems and environmentally friendly agricultural practices. We operate within the NFU protocol and use the HACCP system to ensure microbiological, chemical and physical safety for all products produced.
Our strong horticultural programme is geared towards keeping our growing team advised of advances in technology, techniques and market demands. This practice has earned us a reputation for consistent crop excellence. Our traceability systems ensure that all produce grown and sold can be traced through to the finished product dispatched to the customer.
The UK growing season enables us the ability to offer Tomatoes between the months of March through to November of each year. Our aim is to supply high quality and unique produce to customers within the UK and we achieve this by operating our nursery at a high standard which enables us to be accredited with Red Tractor and LEAF Marque. We are also Sedex Registered & ETI Base Code Compliant.
Our glasshouses are operated at a high standard using the most advanced biodiverse systems of production. This includes incorporating resistant varieties to both pests and diseases. We incorporate Biological controls where predator and parasitic insects battle damaging organisms, without the need for the use of pesticides against specific problems. Pheromones are also used to capture insect pests which provides us with key information before issues emerge. All of our crops are also grown on hydroponic mat systems that leave the fruit clear of contaminating soil and delivers good quality products for our customers and consumers. The company works closely with many European seed houses to trial new varieties, and where possible, to offer either a different product for the market place or an improvement to a current product.
Key nutrients are delivered to over 60,000 plants across our nursery each season via drip irrigation systems, ensuring that each plant receives a tailored feed recipes for optimum growth and flavour profile for our tomatoes.
At times where production may be at it’s peak we may require additional support and utilise agencies to facilitate the needs of the business. Where this occurs, we actively check that the agencies we work with are fully licensed with the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA).
BACK BRITISH FARMERS
We are committed to providing our UK based customers with the freshest, locally grown and harvested produce at the highest of standards. Our produce is not only fresh, it tastes great too. Our business has become a local centre for a wide variety of produce.
Buying home-grown produce supports the local economy and also reduces the amount of energy needed to transport your food.