Growers

At Co-op, we’re passionate about championing British produce and supporting the growers who make it possible. We know British farmers are under increasing pressure, so we’re doing everything we can to prioritise British sourcing and build a resilient future for UK horticulture.

We work collaboratively with our suppliers through various initiatives including the Fresh Produce Forum where we consult and shape the future of British growing together. Whether it’s exploring more nature-friendly farming practices or sharing innovations that improve on-farm efficiency, we’re transforming our fresh produce supply chain with growers at the heart of every decision.

We now have a Best of British page on our website, celebrating the wonderful fruit and veg sourced from our British growers and giving home-grown produce pride of place on our shelves from the moment it’s ripe for picking.

We're committed to:

Sourcing all UK-grown fruit and vegetables from LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) Marque certified farms by January 2027, ensuring higher standards of environmental sustainability and responsible farming practices.
Extending British seasons for home-grown fruit and vegetables through projects in variety development, agri-tech and innovation.
Supporting British horticulture with new ranges
Sourcing British flower varieties
Building strategic relationships and having long term contracts with our fruit and vegetable growers
Delivering on the NFU’s fruit and vegetable pledge to provide more seasonal British fruit and vegetables

All of these commitments mean we can deliver brilliant outcomes for our customers, offering healthy, sustainable food choices whilst supporting British farming. In 2025 we became the first UK retailer to move to 100% British strawberries, and our LEAF commitment strengthens our dedication to farming practices that protect soil health, biodiversity and water resources.

Creating new varieties

Naylor Flowers is one of the main suppliers of British flowers to the Co-op. They are passionate about growing new and interesting types of flowers for bouquets and have been working with the Co-op on new product development for the last decade.

The farm grows flowers between January and November, they grow 16 different crops with up to 20 different cultivars of each. As well as being large-scale daffodil growers and a leading UK producer of delphiniums and larkspur, they grow a wide range of products including alliums, scabious, eryngium and echinops and they are the UK’s largest grower of ornamental brassica.

Gemma Gray, Co-op Technical Manager for Horticulture, said

‘’We work closely with the team at Naylor Flowers to trial new and exciting British flowers each year, we add them to our British Seasonal bouquet which regularly changes throughout the summer months as and when the new flowers are at their best and ready to be picked’.

The Naylor family have been growing flowers in the same village since the 1940’s and have LEAF Marque accreditation, this is an externally-audited environmental standard. They aim to run their business in a way that benefits the environment and community around them which aligns closely with the Co-op’s values. Each year a hard working team of up to one hundred flower croppers harvest tens of millions of stems by hand especially for the Co-op. In 2016 Naylor Flowers formed a labour agency with their neighbouring farm to help to improve the opportunities for everyone who works in their team.

Matt Naylor, the MD, says

“We love growing things that bring joy to the people who buy them but it is equally important to us that our flowers also bring a benefit to the hard working people who harvest them and to our local community and environment”