As one of the premium ‘grower-packer’ businesses in Evesham, Zenith Nurseries is a major grower and supplier of baby-leaf salads to the UK market. Being a grower-packer means they can harvest the crop on their own farms, wash, pack and dispatch in the same day so that wholesale customers receive the produce in the shortest possible time.
Based on 200 acres of field grown crops and 30 acres of protected crops, there is a lot of movement of produce, people and tools around the farm and Zenith have just invested in four new John Deere Gators to help them make the entire operation more efficient.
Jack Barone, one of the Directors of Zenith Nurseries said, “There is a constant requirement for movement of all kinds of kit around the site, as we have a very intensive production and processing facility and having the right machinery to save time and costs is very important to us. We’ve just bought four more Gators from Tallis Amos Group because they always look after us and the Gator gives us excellent service.
We’ve had Gators for ten years or more, we have tried other similar types of vehicle but the Gator is the best and we always come back to it.”
Zenith keep their Gators for two years - which means they are covered entirely by their manufacturer’s warranty. All the servicing and maintenance is carried out by TAG, so Zenith can concentrate on their crop production and leave the servicing to the experts.
General Manager, David Holder said, “We normally rack-up around five hundred hours every year on each of the Gators because we are moving people, produce, tools, irrigation equipment all around the site every day. The Gator is small enough to get through restricted areas – in and out of greenhouses, yet big enough to cope with the demands of heavy payloads and it doesn’t cause a lot of compaction.
The service that we get from TAG and the John Deere product is without doubt the best in the area. The guys at TAG will always respond to any call-out and our TAG Area Sales Manager, Richard Ainslie is very reliable and is always willing to help us out if we need it. We get on really well with them.”
Zenith has just invested £2 million in a new purpose-built wash facility which is state of the art when it comes to efficient processing, washing and packaging of such crops as wild rocket, baby spinach, watercress, chards and baby lettuce. The facility now has three process lines which are all fully accredited and are considered some of the best in the country.
David Holder Added, “we are investing in expanding our facilities and always improving efficiency because our customers expect the best when they deal with Zenith Nurseries. By having the right machinery and equipment as well as being fully accredited, means that our customers are always the ones to benefit. With TAG and the John Deere product, you get what you pay for and it just seems to reflect the same kind of attitude that we have about always striving for quality.”
Pictured - Jack Barone - Director Zenith Nurseries and David Holder - General Manager
