packed with pride
Based in Kent we sit in the middle of many great top fruit growers. Currently, we pack for over 50 of them and during the summer months, we take care of apples from many different countries around the world.
In July 2014 we opened our fantastic new facility, a £3.4m investment. We realised how important it was to keep pace with the fast-evolving market which we are part of, it has allowed us to manage costs and excel in our service.
The construction of our new coldstore extension was completed in May 2019. It holds 1500 additional pallets spaces, arranged on a high bay mobile racking system. Consistent with our ethos of maximising the use of renewable energy, we installed 160 kw photo voltaic (PV) system to complement our original investment in this technology.
In 2021 we added a further 420kw of ground-mounted solar to the front of the site. The total arrays can now produce almost 800kw. This is sufficient to run the whole site on solar during the summer months It also means we are 60% self-sufficient as a site.
“Our business is continually changing, adapting to both our customers and the seasons we work within. We strive daily to meet the expectations of both our growers and our retail customers.”
True Difference
We continually invest in both people and equipment to ensure we remain knowledgeable and efficient in everything we do. The topfruit sector has changed significantly over the last decade, new grower production methods require advanced more accurate grading and quality sorting systems in order to enhance returns. Additionally, Cottage Farms is BRC accredited guaranteeing the highest quality, safety, and standards, as well as constantly looking for ways we can improve.
We promote an environment of positive challenge here and actively engage with our departments to get colleagues’ views/ideas on where we can improve
OUR VALUES
OUR VALUES
QUALITY
We always ask ourselves, how we can do it better.
SERVICE
Be the best at everything we do.
TEAM SPIRIT
Have fun and be passionate about what you do.
INNOVATION
Ever evolving ideas.
Logical Apples
Logical Apples
We send over 4,500,000 boxes every year to our supermarket customer – that’s 360 million apples and pears or 45,000 tonnes of tasty goodness!
At our busiest, we gently handle 55,000 apples per hour for our growers. We check them, inside and out, to ensure they reach our customer in tip-top condition. Ensuring quality is the key to our success.
This is us
Perfecting Produce
This is us
Perfecting Produce
Chris Browning
Managing Director
Chris has been Managing Director at Cottage Farms since 2003, he took on the ownership in 2006. Since then he has overseen the significant investment and progression of the business and is proud of the company's achievements. He has also been Chairman of the UK Topfruit grower group AGPO since 2016.
Nick Skinner
Warehouse/Capacity Manager
Nick joined the Cottage Farms team in March 2021 as the Warehouse Manager, he joined with over 20 years of experience in the produce industry having undertaken varying roles within Warehouse, projects, and operations. Nick spent 17 years working for a leading procurement, operations, and distribution company where he gained experience in leadership, people relations, compliance, and continuous improvement. In June 2023 Nick combined his role to include site capacity planning to support continued business growth.
Outside of work Nick enjoys spending time with his family, and in his spare time he loves to cook.
Russell Dare
QC Team Leader
Russell has over 20 years’ experience in the produce industry and joined the Cottage Farms team in March 2021 as a night stock quality controller. He transferred to days in February 2022 to support the QC team and shortly after became QC Team Leader. He spent the previous 15 years with one company supplying the Tesco Topfruit category, gaining an in-depth quality knowledge, and understanding of supplier, and customer requirements.
Outside of work, Russell is heavily involved in the psychological experiment of being a long-suffering supporter of Everton FC.
Juste Rasciauskaite
Compliance Manager – SHE & Food Safety
Juste joined CF in 2022 as a Compliance Manager covering both H&S and Food Safety standards. Previous experience gained in fresh produce & retail logistics businesses supports the site’s progression in placing compliance at the forefront of our priorities and creating a strong safety culture led from all colleagues. Outside of work Juste likes to relax by spending money on excessive number of plants, squeezing them into an already full garden and house and in the process trying to convince her husband that they have always been there.
Paul Keeble
Pear Ripening/Category Manager
Introducing Paul joined us in April 2020, bringing a wealth of experience, after 20 years in a ripening capacity with his previous employer.
In an ever-growing category, Paul is responsible for the quality management and ripening of Pears so they reach our customers in a ready-to-eat condition.
Outside of work, Paul likes to spend time with his grandchildren, is a keen tropical fish keeper, he loves a game of darts, and is an avid Yogi.
Richard Stock
Head of Operations
Joined Cottage Farms in January 2020 as our Head of Operations, Richard has spent most of his career in the fresh produce business starting from quality & technical management to leading the operations for one of the biggest fresh produce importers in the UK.
His inclusive approach in delivering positive change is aimed at people, process & cost optimisation to the business and suppliers with focus of delivering customers with highest quality products.
In his private life Richard is a keen athlete and he hons his skills every Wednesday playing pool for his local pub team.
Gin Psenaska
Operations Leader
Gintaras joined Cottage Farms in June 2020 as Operations Leader to manage packhouse operations. He has over 8 years of experience in the fresh produce industry working with Top Fruit, Berries and Citrus. Gintaras worked his way up from Line Leader to the Shift Operations Leader at one of the largest privately-owned food processing businesses in UK.
Karen Ellis
Office Manager
Karen joined the Cottage Farms team in April 2008 as the Office Manager, previously she worked for 10 years within a National Newspaper as an Office Manager. Having undertaken varying roles within the media industry she gained experience in Office management, leadership skills, people relations, finance, and administration.
Karen is responsible for all company accounts, payroll, and pensions at Cottage Farms.
In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and 2 children. She also enjoys walking and cooking.
Vaughan Batchelor
Operations Trainer
Vaughan joined Cottage Farms as a Warehouse Operative back in the summer of 2020. Since then he has progressed through the Warehouse as a Dispatch operative, Supervisor and in 2023 became the Operative Trainer for Cottage Farms. Before returning from his travels in India and Southeast Asia his skills lied in the tiling industry and retail sector.
With no previous experience in the produce industry, his positive attitude and drive have seen him excel himself at Cottage Farms, taking on any opportunity set in front of him. He has been through several courses since joining the company, including gaining a qualification as a Lift truck instructor.
When not lending his hand at Cottage Farms, Vaughan is a singer/songwriter and takes any opportunity to make as much noise as possible.
Vitalijs Krajevs
Maintenance
Vitalijs joined Cottage Farms in October of 2020. With 8 years of experience in maintenance and machine engineering, Vitalijs has continued to expand his knowledge in his field.
Vitalijs is responsible the general site and for ensuring all machinery on site is updated and in line with both Health and Safety and Food Safety requirements so our production doesn’t have any downtime.
In his spare time Vitalijs enjoys working on new projects and spending time with his wife and daughter.
Our Specialties
What can you expect to see at Cottage Farms in the future...
Our Specialties
What can you expect to see at Cottage Farms in the future...
“From end to end we pride ourselves on taking care of your product as if it was our own. From the moment your product arrives at our state-of-the-art facility to the moment it’s delivered to the customer the Cottage Farms team are committed to delivering the best service at a competitive price. ”
Ripening Facilities
Here at Cottage Farms, our Pear team ripens almost a million boxes of ready-to-eat pears per year. Since we started, we have seen over 30% increase in the sales of this line – a true success story…
Due to the continued success of our pear ripening business, we were able to expand our ripening portfolio to Mangoes and successfully delivered high volume into a major retailer for the import season of 2022.
Review and renew.
At Cottage Farms we continue to challenge ourselves to explore new ways to improve how we currently operate and can it benefit our customers.
Recent changes to 2022 – 2023
Grader yield increase project – by working with our growers we are able to increase the yield of apples from the bin to benefit more product going to class 1.
Production Line capacity & efficiency optimisation – Currently we are reviewing ‘true’ line running performance to enable us to be transparent on our operational costs and capacity.
Apple waste reduction - We engage with various customers to ensure we optimise every apple and reduce any needless waste through the supply chain.
The all-seeing i(Auditor) - In 2021 we introduced an audit system called iAuditor. We have recently expanded this to incorporate our operational training requirements. iAuditor allows anyone on-site to raise an issue directly to a department.
talk to us
get in touch with any questions using the form below
talk to us
get in touch with any questions using the form below
Send us a message
Please use the form below to get in touch. If you are interested in joining the Cottage Farms family please get in touch.
Head office
Cottage Farms ltd
Churn Lane
Horsmonden
Tonbridge
Kent
TN12 8HW
T: 01892 722702
For job enquiries:
office@cottagefarms.co.uk
VACANCIES
VACANCIES
Join the Team
Maintenance Engineer
Job role
An exciting opportunity has become available for a maintenance engineer to join our team at Cottage Farms We operate a successful and continually evolving business deep in the heart of the Kent countryside. We grade pack and distribute produce to one of the UK’s major retailers and we are seeking a qualified multi skilled maintenance engineer to join our team and support our continued business growth.
The main duties and responsibilities include:
Pro-active contribution to sites safety program
Compliance to both Health & Safety Food Safety regulations
Maintenance of inventory & stock control
Maintenance budget management
Preventative Planned maintenance completion and development
Mechanical and electrical fault finding and modifications.
Assisting with ongoing development of machinery and site facilities
Responsible for preventative and reactive maintenance with a large emphasis on fault finding and diagnostics.
Completion of root cause analysis and engineering reports
Compile and complete all chronic / sporadic loss investigations.
Engineering knowledge in FMCG fruit packing machinery ( AWETA / ULMA / Flow wrappers / BURG bin tipping lines / Automated lines ).
The successful applicant will have:
Recognised engineering accreditations
18th Edition or equivalent apprenticeship experience (engineering)
Strong multi-engineering skills (essential - mechanical and electrical)
Good mechanical and electrical knowledge
Flexible in approach to meet business demands.
Ability to work in an efficient and safe way.
Ability to work under pressure / time parameters.
Effective communication & engagement skills when communicating at all levels.
Previous experience in FMCG engineering environment a requirement for this position
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Shift pattern: Monday – Friday ( 9 Hrs PD )
Job Type: Permanent
Salary: £40,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Company pension
Flexitime
On-site parking
Referral programme
Sick pay
Schedule:
Day shift
Monday to Friday
No weekends
Experience:
Maintenance: 5 years (preferred)
Electrical engineering: 5 years (preferred)
We are always looking for great talent to join our great team. If you’re interested in joining Cottage Farms get in touch at office@cottagefarms.co.uk with a copy of your CV and we’d be delighted to speak with you.