Weetabix meets sourcing commitments thanks to early harvest
The business sources 100% of its wheat from within 50 miles of its Burton Latimer mill.
It said that that farmers carried out the earliest Northamptonshire harvest in its 85-year history to help meet this pledge.
This commitment had been been placed under pressure by a record-breaking hot dry summer, following a wet start and extended cold spell in April.
Hitesh Bhatia, strategic sourcing manager at Weetabix, said: “Thanks to the hard work and dedication of our farmers, I can confirm that once again every single one of the 365 grains found in each Weetabix biscuit will come from local farms. We work closely with our Growers Group to secure the highest-quality British wheat produced to the most responsible standards.”
Jonathan Lane, trading director at grain merchants Gleadell, one of the suppliers to Weetabix, said: “It’s terrific to see British farmers delivering such a good quality harvest under challenging conditions. They are not alone in facing weather-related challenges. Farmers right across Northern Europe and Scandinavia have had to deal with difficult growing conditions.”
Farmer James Wheeler, whose farm in Northamptonshire supplies wheat through Gleadell to Weetabix, said: “Being part of the Growers Group means we operate to strict protocols and work closely with Weetabix. This makes sure the very best British wheat makes it to breakfast tables. In return, we get information to continuously improve our output. For example, for every truck of harvested wheat tipped at Weetabix’s manufacturing plant in Burton Latimer, we receive a text back that tells us key information about the quality of our grain. This helps us monitor our harvest output in real time.”
In February, Weetabix appointed Colm O’Dwyer as commercial director of its UK and Ireland operations.
