FAMILY farming firm E Cook and Sons know their onions after more than 30 years in business – but the price of carrots caused problems last year.

The St Helens company produces vegetables and cereals for markets and greengrocers across the UK.

Farming faces challenges on several fronts, including poor weather and strong competition, which require a strategic response – and often expensive technology.

Stephen Cook, a director and grandson of the founders, said: “When the price of carrots dropped dramatically in 2009 due to more suppliers entering the market, we needed to give ourselves a competitive edge by offering produce that was produced efficiently and to a high standard.

“To do this, we needed to embark on a project to ensure we had the latest and best technology.”

It needed a £250,000 machine that could sort carrots effectively, removing more defective carrots and more quickly, increasing the amount of saleable crop produced.

Its Business Link adviser, Philip Ambler, assisted with a successful funding bid from the Rural Development Programme for England for 40% of the machine’s cost.

Business Link has also assisted with the firm’s training needs, including the leadership advice available through its Train to Gain scheme.

Mr Cook said: “You can produce the best vegetables in the world, but you also need to be able to market and sell them effectively. We are doing a good job of ensuring our sales remain good, but I know they can be even better and my skills in the sales and marketing department is key to realising our potential.”

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