© Marleys Folkestone
Since 1921 , the year that William Wallis purchased his first farm on the outskirts of Canterbury , our farms have not only grown in size but have also grown many of Kent ’ s delectables over those 100 years . Victoria plums , greengages , raspberries , apples of all kinds , strawberries , pears and most recently , cherries , have all been planted and picked upon this fertile soil to feed the nation . Originally , it was Kent ’ s close proximity to London that was yet another appealing benefit to this county and its fruit-growing appeal . With direct train links to London ’ s famous markets that included both Borough and Covent Garden , supplying the nation from Kent was straightforward for times that relied so heavily on rail . Today , the farms , run by William Wallis ’ s grandchildren William and David Riccini , supply Britain ’ s supermarkets with fruit - now a much larger operation than the traditional produce markets of the 20th century . When asking my father , David Riccini , the reason behind his , and his brother and business partner William ’ s success , he told me that their early transition away from traditional varieties and continual reinvestment into young orchards while keeping ahead of variety trends has been key . Even if that means planting up new orchards more regularly , new varieties are always evolving and this is intricately linked to flavour , quality , and ultimately consumer experience and satisfaction . “ I knew I wanted to follow in my grandfather ’ s footsteps and have always had a natural aptitude for understanding science , which is crucial for successful fruit growing ,” says David . “ After studying at Writtle Agricultural College , I began to develop my own business strategies allowing me to take the family business into the 21st century and keep up with the modern challenges of fruit farming .”
My uncle , William Riccini , reminds me that : “ continually monitoring nutrient levels , attention to detail and good husbandry technique ,” is also important , as is the “ recruitment of good , enthusiastic staff that must be looked after well .” When it comes to staff , the industry has also seen a myriad of changes ; originally starting out with village locals and even children to pick the crops , Kent ’ s famous coalfield provided a plentiful selection of hardworking and eager recruits that were collected in a double-decker East Kent bus and delivered to the orchards for an honest day ’ s work . Today the vacancies of fruit picking jobs are predominantly filled by determined Eastern Europeans , a transitional change that is just one of many our farm has witnessed over those 100 years . It is not only the outside influences of the industry that have affected the evolution of the farm , but also several changes in the focus of the business ; changes which have brought about accolades that include providing Wimbledon ’ s strawberries during the 1980s and brewing award-winning cider throughout the 1990s , which was even a staple part of Fortnum and Mason ’ s famous hamper .
Today , aside from supplying supermarkets on a large scale and sharing their expertise through consultancy work , William and David have continued to acknowledge the importance of supplying locally and have embraced the demand for fruit from the local community and its retailers . This summer saw the start of Kent Cherry Co . a branch of W & D Riccini that is committed to supplying Kent-based restaurants and artisan food outlets with the highest quality Kentish fruit , handpicked and carefully selected straight from the branch . Throughout the month of July , the Kent Cherry Co . sold cherries from stalls in Whitstable Harbour and Bekesbourne , a more traditional way of selling fruit directly from the grower to the consumer , which allows for optimum freshness and taste .
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