Robin Griffiths

Robin Griffiths’ family has been growing potatoes for Walkers Crisps for three decades, and now the Shropshire farm supplies 25,000t of potatoes each year to the UK’s biggest crisp maker.

What started as a small contract for the family business in the 1980s has grown much bigger over time and the firm has now become a key supplier.

“I’m a third-generation supplier to Walkers. I grew up with it, following on from my grandfather and father,” Mr Griffiths says.

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The understanding between farm and crisp maker has developed over the years and goes beyond a commercial relationship, and Mr Griffiths says that neither party would do it if it didn’t work well.

He supplies potatoes through a grower group, consisting of just three members.

“We’re one of several supply groups that works closely with Walkers, to ensure a year-round, consistent supply of potatoes,” he says.

Improve quality

The standards are very high and there has been a constant drive to improve quality – from both the food industry and the retailers.

“As a result, consumers expect better food for less money, so we have had to react and up our game accordingly,” he says.

Fact file: Walkers Crisps

Walkers – the UK’s biggest crisp brand – sources 380,000t of potatoes every year from 80 farms around the UK.

The company was founded in 1948 by Henry Walker, who began making crisps in his Leicester plant. Today, nine out of the top 10 best-selling crisps and snacks are from Walkers.

In 2010, the company set itself the target of using 50% less carbon and water to grow its key crops by the end of 2015.

Despite some challenging growing seasons, a 5% yield increase for 49% less irrigation water per tonne was achieved in 2013.

The crisp maker is currently owned by the US food and drinks giant PepsiCo.

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That has involved a greater level of management expertise and attention to detail, he reveals.

“We’ve had to be more intelligent about growing, as well as constantly examining our cost base. It has been about improving all of our operations, not cutting corners,” adds Mr Griffiths.

For this reason, his four managers are always being challenged to come up with new ideas.

“Through our relationship with Walkers, we are also able to share our intelligence with other growers, question different approaches and learn from each other. It’s a very healthy exchange of information,” he says.

Potato varieties exclusive to Pepsi­Co – Walker’s parent company – are grown at Duncote Farm, alongside other more familiar commercial varieties such as Lady Rosetta, Hermes and Lady Clare.

“The PepsiCo types are in line with the others, in terms of their agronomic characteristics. We grow them just as we would the others – there’s guidance from PepsiCo, but the day-to-day decisions are ours,” he says.

One consequence of better business performance is that ­rotations have widened over the years, and the farm has moved from growing potatoes every four years to a one-in-eight cropping plan.

“We’re much more selective about the land we grow them on now. Risks such as flooding and soil erosion have to be taken into account with field selection. So our timelines for field planning have expanded,” he says.

Irrigation is used to ensure quality and yield, and the farm is broken down into regional areas, with an individual manager having responsibility for each one.

“Irrigation is difficult to get right and we have to adhere to our licence conditions. It helps that Hermes, one of the varieties that goes to Walkers, is drought-resistant,” he adds.

Water management

The i-crop programme, developed by Cambridge University and introduced to growers by Pepsi­Co, has also been very useful in formulating water management plans and improving performance, says Mr Griffiths.

In the same way, the Cool Farm Tool has been invaluable. “It measures carbon emissions and production costs, providing a really good framework for running the business. It also has a benchmarking facility,” he says.

Both developments have come from PepsiCo’s target to halve carbon emissions and water use in five years, he acknowledges.

“We are agreed on the need for a sustainable, intensive platform for potato production. It’s all about farming in a way that everyone feels comfortable with,” he says.

A new, purpose-built storage site on the Shropshire farm is helping him to do this.

“We store up to 20,000t for PepsiCo and our old site was not carbon-efficient. The new facility makes best use of technology, minimises the need for sprout suppressants and has set new standards in energy use,” he adds.

Investment

Mr Griffiths points out that the investment required to farm at this level is very high.

“It means there are entry barriers for other growers. We are in a long-term relationship, based on shared intelligence, which suits both partners,” he says.