Former Tesco buying manager Darren Huxtable joins UK’s leading fresh potato supplier
Tesco believes there is significant growth potential in the potato category – a potential highlighted by the success of new varieties such as Vales Sovereign. Now Greenvale AP, the UK’s leading supplier of fresh potatoes, has responded to the retailer’s challenge to grow the category by creating a new in-house post, that of Tesco Business Unit Manager. And who better to fill the position than a former buying manager at Tesco?
Darren Huxtable, 36, will split his time between the Greenvale sites that supply Tesco, at Floods Ferry in Cambridgeshire and Duns on the Scottish Borders. He will be responsible for all the company’s sales to the retailer and will help to develop Greenvale’s relationship with Tesco’s team in Scotland, bringing additional support to their initiatives in sales and marketing.
He brings considerable experience to the new job: until his move to Greenvale he was Tesco buying manager for mushrooms, herbs and chilled salads and previously has been with G’s Marketing, responsible for procurement for the company’s salad factory.
"There are big opportunities to improve the customer offering," says Darren Huxtable. "For example, Greenvale’s new varieties, like Vales Sovereign and Sofia, deliver real benefits over traditional potato varieties in terms of flavour and versatility. They will play an important role in improving customer participation and perception to the potato category."
He adds: "Greenvale and Tesco already enjoy an excellent working partnership – in 2008 Vales Sovereign won ‘Variety of the Year’ in the Tesco Fresh Produce Category Awards. My ultimate aim is to make Greenvale Tesco’s first choice for fresh potatoes."
Darren Huxtable is married and is a keen amateur chef – other interests include running, cycling and ‘food in general’.
For more information visit the Greenvale AP website at www.greenvale.co.uk
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Editor’s notes
Greenvale AP is the UK’s leading supplier of fresh potatoes and was awarded the Queens Award for Innovation in 2006. Greenvale AP now supplies the UK’s premier retailers, caterers and processing outlets with quality potatoes, meeting the high standards demanded by the UK market.
Greenvale AP has developed sites in the major potato growing areas across the UK, resulting in three state of the art potato-packing operations situated in Shropshire, Berwickshire and Cambridgeshire. The company also has sales and marketing offices across the UK, including in Norfolk, Suffolk, Somerset, Hereford and Yorkshire. Greenvale AP’s Seed Potato operation is managed from a specialist office at Burrelton, near Perth in Scotland.
Vales Sovereign, a new potato variety from Greenvale AP, won ‘Variety of the Year’ in the Tesco Fresh Produce Category Awards, held on November 20th 2008 at Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. Announcing the award, Alex Dower, the Category Director for Tesco, commended both the sales performance and Greenvale’s work in escalating the availability of Vales Sovereign.