FRUIT and vegetable merchant William Law & Son is urging Scottish strawberry growers to help it replace foreign imports.
The Motherwell company is looking to cut back on the amount of strawberries it imports. They will account for 80% of the 240,000 punnets it expects to supply to Scottish supermarkets this year.
``We are looking to double the Scottish share of our market to 40% by next year,'' said William Law who, with his brother Stephen, represents the third generation to run the family business.
The brothers have already arranged for two growers with glasshouses in the Clyde Valley to supply them next year, and are looking for others in Perthshire, Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire.
``We have already got the orders for the strawberries,'' explained William Law, ``and if we can get Scottish growers to grow quality berries we can offer them a higher price than they would receive by sending them to the fruit markets.''
At present the company has to use imports from Belgium, Holland and America to fulfil its orders, but the large supermarket chains want to replace these with home-grown fruit.
The strawberry business has proved a lifeline for William Law. Two years ago the company, then based in Baillieston, Glasgow, was faced with closure after losing two major supermarket contracts for supplying potatoes.
However, last year Advanced Marketing Services, an English company, asked if it would source and pack strawberries for its Scottish customers.
Seven months ago it moved into new premises in Motherwell and moved out of the potato business. Its factory now operates 18 hours a day, six days a week, and William Law is looking to become a 24-hour-a-day operation.
In March it employed a staff of 15 and this has now grown to 60, while turnover in the first year at Motherwell is projected to be in the region of #400,000.
``We expect to double this turnover in our second year of operation,'' said Mr Law, ``as we increase the home-grown content of our business, and sales of strawberries grow.''
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