East Coast Viners

General information

East Coast Viners is one of the leading producers of finest quality frozen peas and broad beans in the UK. Based in Tayside on Scotland’s temperate east coast ECV are one of the UK’s largest and longest-established producers of frozen peas and broad beans. East Coast Viners can supply all grades and sizes of peas from AA 150 minute to DD and from tender garden peas to petits pois and all are grown and frozen to the highest quality industry standards. The UK is the largest producer of peas for freezing in Europe mainly because of its unique east-facing seaboard. In the Tayside region of Scotland where East Coast Viners operates the natural advantages of low average rainfall and traditional rotational farming are complemented by temperate summers which encourage slower ripening. East Coast Viners is owned and run by three local farmer brothers Graham Mike and John Forbes who have been growing peas and broad beans in the area for over 35 years. As well as their own farms they also rent seasonal land from other local farmers giving them a combined acreage of just under 5000 acres dedicated to pea and broad bean production within a 25-mile radius of the freezing plant in Dundee. This year (2005) East Coast Viners plans to grow around 9000 tonnes of peas and 300 tonnes of broad beans sown to a precision schedule which will allow continuous 24-hour harvesting of perfectly-ripened peas throughout most of July and August.Through retaining complete control of the entire production operation from seed selection through to packing and by taking advantage of the excellent local road links from farm fields to the freezing plant East Coast Viners can supply all grades and sizes of peas from AA 150 minute to DD and from tender garden peas to petits pois. This is subject to full traceability. Peas and beans are frozen in the state-of-the-art Dundee-based facility owned and operated by Alpine Foods Ltd one of the largest processor of frozen vegetables in the country. Alpine Foods has also recently invested in packing facilities which are available to East Coast Viners. East Coast Viners currently supplies major supermarkets and other frozen pea and broad bean buyers all over the UK. Export sales are also being cultivated in Spain Portugal Israel Canada and other international markets.The UK is the largest producer of peas for freezing in Europe mainly because of its unique east-facing seaboard. In the Tayside region of Scotland where East Coast Viners operates the natural advantages of low average rainfall and traditional rotational farming are complemented by temperate summers which encourage slower ripening. The slower ripening not only enhances the natural flavours of Tayside’s famous fruit and vegetable crops but it also allows efficient food producers like East Coast Viners to synchronise their harvesting operations with the factory-freezing capabilities. East Coast Viners rents most of its pea-growing land from local farmers who view peas as a very attractive break crop introducing nitrogen back into the soil after four or five years of cereal or root vegetable cultivation. Fitting in with traditional crop rotations in this way gives East Coast Viners regular access to virgin pea soils with significantly lower risks of disease above-average yields and no need for artificial fertilisers. The other significant geographical advantage of pea production in this part of Scotland is the centrality of Dundee (where the freezing facility is based) to the counties of Perthshire Angus and South Kincardineshire in which East Coast Viners farms. East Coast Viners’ pea fields are mostly located within a 25-mile radius of the factory linked and criss-crossed by a network of minor and major roads which facilitate rapid delivery from the field to the factory.