Our Heritage
Fourayes Farm Est. 1953
Fourayes has come a long way since 1953 when Phil Acock’s grandfather (pictured opposite) purchased the farm at Bicknor in Kent.
The succeeding decades have seen a host of incredible Fourayes innovations, combining vision with investment to build a great British business.
Fourayes in the 1950s
John Acock, Phil’s father, was a natural entrepreneur. He was the first to offer a washed and doorstep-delivered potato service for the farm’s local customers; using 10 converted ex War Department Daimler ambulances to make the deliveries. This hugely successful venture was a foretaste of the way many people buy their food shopping today.
1960s Introduced semi-automatic machinery
The very first Bramley apple was peeled at Fourayes in 1963 using pioneering semi-automatic machinery for paring, coring, slicing and processing called the Pease System. Fourayes was also first to install a state-of-art fully automatic peeling system – the world-renowned Atlas Pacific.
1970s Launch of the 'Farm Gate' sales
Fourayes was again one of the first to launch a ‘farm gate’ service for direct sales of apples and potatoes. Fourayes was also an early ‘pick-your-own’ provider of summer fruits including strawberries, raspberries, redcurrants, white currants, rhubarb and loganberries. Demand was so great that we had to establish a one-way system in the lanes around the farm!
1980s Ultra-low oxygen storage
Enormous investment in the first ultra-low oxygen storage facilities in the Country – a technology that is still industry-leading.
1990s Phil pioneered the natural apple dip
Phil took over from his father, John, as Managing Director and Fourayes pioneered the natural apple dip that prevents browning without the use of preservatives. Today, this dip is the industry standard and is still the preferred method when processing. We also developed the hot-mix pie filling, eliminating the need for further processing by our customers. A brand new state-of-art factory was commissioned with Fourayes becoming the largest UK fruit processor and supplying processed apples, pie fillings and mincemeats
2000s Expanding into new areas
A new dispatch area and pie filling centre were purpose built – further expanding our capabilities.
2010s Continuous innovation
Jam and Aseptic fruit purees were added to an ever-increasing, and already impressive, portfolio of products. A significant and world-leading DCA (Dynamically Controlled Atmosphere) storage facility was built on site and Fourayes Food development created our famous Utterly Fruity and Plumptious brands.
And way beyond…Fourayes continues to improve its facilities, investing in new technologies and great people, and growing its range to meet the needs of the food industry.