Isle of Ely Open Day 2024
The Isle of Ely Open Day is a popular event among FASFA members, and our Executive Director Julie Waites was thrilled to attend for the first time. Representatives of Smales & Son, Friars Pride, Henry Colbeck, and JFK/Gadus were also present.
Thank you to our host, Austen Dack from Chippy chat, for the invitation and excellent organisation.
FASFA member Jogvan Hansen, Sales and Operations Director of JFK Gadus, practically stepped out of his car and onto the stage after his flight from the Faroe Islands was delayed. But, as always, he made a fantastic presentation highlighting their company's devotion in supplying the UK with high-quality frozen at-sea fillets from the Gadus. JFK also generously paid for the evening supper for all 60 attendees.
Oliver Boutwood, co-owner of Isle of Ely Produce, also provided a highly educational talk about the event's venue. Ely Produce has been a family-run business for more than 50 years. Their farming venture is located in Ely, Cambridgeshire, although being situated in Silsoe, Bedfordshire. They offer approximately 50,000 tonnes of chipped potatoes to UK wholesalers and 10,000 tonnes of potatoes for export to North Africa, Asia, and the European Union. They recently upgraded their packhouse and grading facilities, investing in cutting-edge equipment and a 225 kW solar array to provide clean electricity while considerably lowering their carbon impact.
Following the presentations, we enjoyed a Fish and Chip lunch, with frozen at sea fillets of cod caught by our members vessel the Ramoen, supplied by Smales and cooked up in a mobile fish van by Pimp My Fish.
We then took a tour of the farms, including an instructive visit to Sarah Lee's farm, A L Lee Farming Company. They produce 3.5 million potatoes, and seeing their process from field to fork was an eye-opening experience.
Being a potato grower presents numerous challenges, some of which are similar to those encountered in the fishing sector, such as capital investment, which can range between £5,000 and £7,000 per acre.
The Isle of Ely Open Day did not disappoint, and we look forward to next year. We would like to thank our hosts, Chippy Chat, for organising, and all of the fantastic speakers.