Further growth for Peak Choice Farmers Co-operative

Peak Choice, the Peak District beef and lamb farmer owned co-operative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales, has signed a distribution agreement with specialist catering butcher Mainstream Foods to supply Peak Choice regionally branded beef and lamb into premium catering establishments.

Established in 2007 a group of eleven forward thinking Peak District livestock farmers have been working together to establish a regional brand for their premium beef and lamb, selling direct to consumers through the internet www.peakchoice.co.uk and now supplying catering establishments via their distribution partner Mainstream Foods.

"The recent distribution agreement has been a great success, the skill and experience of our specialist catering butchery partner combined with the passion and knowhow of Peak Choice farmers to produce high quality cattle and lambs means our catering customers can be confident of a quality product with traceability right back to the individual farmer, whose name is on every pack." Comments Rob Garrett, Peak Choice operations consultant.

Paul Broadbent, Mainstream Foods operations director states "We can now offer our existing and potential premium catering customers a consistent supply of top quality beef and lamb with unquestionable provenance. This is becoming more and more important to restaurants as their customers increasingly want to know if the meat on the menu is sourced locally. To be able to distribute Peak Choice beef and lamb is an exciting opportunity for us, one that compliments our existing products and plans for the future"

Peak Choice farming member David Thorp comments "I am pleased with what we have put into Mainstream so far, both in terms of the price and feedback received, which is something we do not get with other markets"

This new initiative for Peak Choice comes on top of an agreement to supply cattle to a well known national retailer.

Peak Choice farmers receive a premium price/kg dead weight over published EBLEX (English Beef & Lamb Executive) regional averages for their lambs and cattle which with no sales commission deductions can mean up to £70/head higher return on a typical 650 kg live-weight beast with a carcase grading of R4L. This transparent pricing combined with a MLC (Meat & Livestock Commission) approved grade for each animal ensures that farmers are paid on the quality of their produce, unlike live weight auction mart prices which can be influenced by supply and demand from available buyers on a particular day.

The vision of HRH The Prince of Wales for Peak Choice was to inspire Peak District hill farmers to collaborate on innovative solutions that enhance their commercial sustainability and continue environmental best practice.

With high demand from catering customers and the public, along with the supply of cattle to the retail trade, demand for Peak Choice beef is now far greater than supply and the co-operative are looking to expand their membership, proof that farmers working together can produce tangible benefits for themselves, the environment and their customers.

Farmers wishing to find out more about the benefits of joining Peak Choice should contact Rob Garrett, tel.: 01629 733051 email: rob.garrett@peakchoice.co.uk

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Notes to editors:

For more information contact:

Rob Garrett, Bridge Farm, Calton Lees, Beeley, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 2NX

T: 01629 733051 F: 01629 733052 rob.garrett@peakchoice.co.uk www.peakchoice.co.uk

Image: PeakChoiceMainstreamSmallFe2010 JPEG 118KB

Peak Choice Director Rosemary Lowe, Chairman Rupert Turner, Mainstream Operations Director Paul Broadbent and Factory Manager Darren Harris inspect beef carcases at Mainstreams maturation facility.

Background:

Peak Choice Ltd is an innovative farmers co-operative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales, established in 2007 to improve the financial viability of small family farms within the Peak District who traditionally manage environmentally sensitive landscape to produce top quality beef and lamb whilst enhancing the natural habitats unique to the Peak District.

Peak Choice is a Peak District Environmental Quality Scheme awarded organisation, and all its members farm to strict guidelines of recognised environmental schemes such as Higher Level Stewardship. Farmers are also Farm Assured certified in recognition of good farming practices. There are currently 11 members of the co-operative.

Beef and lamb is sold direct to consumers via the website www.peakchoice.co.uk which is managed by Mainstream Foods (tel.: 01773 591177) who also supply Peak Choice produce to local restaurants. Mainstream Foods is a family run business established in 1954, specialising in the catering butchery sector from their purpose built facility in Stonebroom, Alfreton, Derbyshire.