The Source

Our goal at The New Forest Fruit Company is to be environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially just. From harnessing solar energy and creating wildlife corridors that support the pollination of our fruit, to rainwater harvesting, we continually strive to leave a positive imprint not only on our surrounding environment, but also on future generations.

I moved to the New Forest in 2008, from Scotland, to join the team of an already well-established farming business, located on the Beaulieu Estate in the New Forest, Hampshire. Ten years later I became the sole owner and was later joined by my two brothers-in-law Grzegorz Putyra and Irek Wypasek, forming a genuine family business.

Passion & dedication

From a young age, I have always been passionate about growing and to this day, I never tire of watching our fruit and asparagus thrive. We grow around 100 tons of asparagus, 5000 tons of strawberries and 20 tons of grapes on our farm and every single year is a privilege to witness. I feel incredibly lucky to do the work I do and to be surrounded by people who are equally passionate about growing the very best produce we can.

I know not everybody is fascinated by fruit and what goes into the whole process, but we are all passionate about what we’re striving to achieve at New Forest Fruit. I get satisfaction from knowing that for every punnet of strawberries that we deliver, our customers get as much enjoyment out of that one punnet, as I do in making that one punnet. 

Innovation & technology

An innovator at heart, I have, since the very beginning, invested in and implemented many changes and improvements to the business, from trialling crops such as artichokes, haskaps, melons, cherries, peaches and nectarines, to implementing exciting new technologies.

We work tirelessly to look at how technology can enhance and improve the quality of our produce and the use of cutting edge robotics and AI technology is important in all that we do, not only for the future of our company but also for the future of farming overall.

Innovation is at the very heart of everything we do at New Forest Fruit, while always keeping nature and the environment at the forefront of all our decision-making.

Sustainability & environment

We can’t be passionate about farming without being fully onboard with protecting our planet. Every one of our actions has an impact, and our aim is to consistently make a positive mark, to benefit future generations.

We’ve reduced food waste by creating our New Forest Fruit Snacks. We have bee hotels, bat boxes, bird boxes and beetle banks around our sites and take part in an annual baseline biodiversity study to ensure that wildlife continues to flourish on our sites. The farm, which is a LEAF demonstration farm, also has a vast number of hedgerows that provide a habitat for a variety of species, wildlife corridors to link them up and designated conservation areas. Any unused land around the site’s reservoirs has been planted with fruit trees to encourage more wildlife, and as part of a biodiversity project, we laid an extra 400m of hedge in 2023 using traditional methods.

Biodiversity on the farm is very important to the future of farming and we use Integrated Farm Management (IFM) on our farm which is a holistic approach to farming that enhances crop health, while at the same time reducing our environmental impact, enabling a whole farm approach. 

We also regularly release natural predators to control pests supporting a more diverse ecosystem, which not only protects crops but also encourages natural biodiversity, creating a balanced and resilient agricultural environment. 

What next?

As the world increasingly shifts to people wanting to not only know where there food has come from, but to also understand what goes into growing it, watering it and transporting it, we are proud to say that we are leaders in this space and hope to grow further in the years ahead.

Consuming food in this day and age isn’t solely going to your local store and buying that piece of food, it’s knowing its provenance, knowing that you’re supporting your local community and knowing what has gone into that food as it grows. Because, today, what we feed our bodies couldn’t be more important…

Find out more about The New Forest Fruit Company here.

Contributor bio:

Sandy Booth is the CEO of The New Forest Fruit Company, New Forest Fruit Snacks and The B58 Winery. From the very beginning of his farming career, Sandy showed an acute interest and deep passion for innovation and sustainability in farming. It’s thanks to his dedication, passion and drive that the award-winning New Forest Fruit Snacks were born and that the dream of setting up The B58 Winery became a reality, producing award-winning B58 English still wines.