Growing
Creative Ideas in Glass
Diversity is a byword at Valefresco, with the company growing not only speciality lettuce and a wide variety of Oriental vegetables, but also 10 hectares of protected cover including 5 hectares of tomatoes, all under glass. Production is far higher under glasshouse conditions than from outdoor field crops, since tomatoes are easily damaged by the wind, extremes of temperature or fluctuating weather conditions. Glasshouses offer not only a longer growing season, but also provide shelter from the weather and protection from birds and animals.
The glasshouses at Valefresco are also used out of season to provide an extra four weeks for lettuce production, thus reducing the need to import produce for customers.
Valefresco has developed strong relationships with various Chinatowns throughout Britain
Unique Flavours – a Different Level of Service 'Unique and different' could well be the motto of Valefresco, with company representatives having toured China for a month in order to discover possible new crops and growing techniques.
Chinese vegetables include Chinese cabbage, pak (bok) choy, choi sum, kai Lan, red root spinach, among others. These vegetables are becoming more familiar with an increasingly diverse population and the popularity of ethnic foods.
With this in mind, Valefresco has developed strong relationships with various Chinatowns throughout Britain, including London, which, located off Shaftesbury Avenue in Soho, contains a number of Chinese restaurants, provision stores and souvenir shops. This has become an important and vibrant market for the company, and one that it values greatly.
We are also a member of the British Leafy Salads Association. Click on the image below to visit their site.
Click on the above video clip to see Valefresco on Countryfile. James Wong interviews Company Director Joe Pilade about the Oriental Vegetables that we grow.