Supermarket giant will stock North-grown oil

Jul 5 2008 by Jane Hall, The Journal

RAPESEED oil produced in the North is set to become a ‘must-have’ culinary ingredient after finding its way on to the shelves of the nation’s biggest supermarket chain.

Borderfields, which is owned by a group of enterprising arable farmers from Northumberland and the Scottish Borders, has signed a lucrative deal with Tesco to sell the oil in nearly 130 of its stores.

Border Fields Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil carries the name of its makers – albeit modified – and will initially be available in the North and Scotland.

But the man responsible for bringing Border Fields into the Tesco stable, Alistair Robinson of the grocery giant’s North buying office based in York, hopes it will only be a matter of time before shoppers from Inverness to Penzance are adding the oil to their grocery trolleys.

It is the second brand success for Borderfields Ltd, which has seen a 200% growth in business in the past three years. It’s Oleifera rape seed oil which sells in a distinctive bottle with an elegant long neck, is available from selected Asda and Sainsbury’s outlets, as well as delicatessens and farm shops.

But the Border Fields contract is the biggest to date for the farmers’ collective set-up in 2005 and based at Coldstream Mains in Berwickshire.

The 500ml bottles costing £3.99, are selling as English Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil and Scottish Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil, to reflect the two different Tesco markets and the fact farmers’ land straddles the Border.

The oil in each bottle – which feature the flag of St George or the Scottish Saltire depending on where they are being sold – is pressed at Coastal Grains at Belford from rape seed gathered from either Scottish or Northumberland farms.

Borderfieldschief executive, Richard Palmer, said: “Obviously we are very excited about this. We are effectively running three pilots in parallel in Scotland, the North East and North West, but hopefully if we can prove the popularity of cold-pressed rape seed oil then we can extend it nationally.

“My view is that normally a pilot would be 20 or 30 stores maximum, so the fact Border Fields is going into nearly 130 stores tells you that Tesco is very serious about us and about cold-pressed rapeseed oil.”

Mr Robinson, who is originally from Rothbury, Northumberland, and helped set-up Tesco’s North buying office as part of the supermarket’s new Local Sourcing Initiative launched last year to make such produce an affordable and mainstream part of what it offers, is in no doubt about Border Fields appeal.

“I am genuinely chuffed we have Border Fields on our shelves. I know it will be a really successful product and I would like to get it out nationally.

“The idea is to make Border Fields mainstream. It is a fantastic product with a nice nutty taste that performs really well, not just cold on salads, but as a cooking ingredient for things like roast potatoes.

“It is an artisan product and what we have tried to do is make sure it competes with the other premium oils on our shelves. I want Border Fields to become as mainstream as possible, or as I put it, drive, survive and thrive.”

Borderfields Ltd’s success comes as rapeseed is being hailed as the new golden oil. While its Mediterranean competitor, olive oil, still dominates the cooking market, rapeseed is being seen as a worthy homegrown opponent.

Still a featherweight in terms of market share – Britons spend £104m a year on olive oil – there are several reasons why rapeseed is growing in popularity. Firstly there’s the health benefits – cold-pressed rapeseed oil has less than half the saturated fat of olive (6% compared to 14%), and 10 times the levels of Omega 3, which helps protect the heart and lower cholesterol.

It also has a higher smoking point than other oils. And in these times of growing concerns about food miles, home produced cold-pressed rapeseed oil wins hands down over imported versions.

Mr Palmer says because rapeseed is such a small player in the culinary oils market accurate figures on its growth are hard to come by.

But he said: “We have plans in place to 2010 and we see growth that runs into an enormous figure. We are planning for that. We hope Border Fields will become the UK brand leader; that is our vision. That then becomes a North East and Scottish grown product that creates jobs and brings revenue streaming into the region.”

Where to buy

BORDER Fields cold-pressed rapeseed oil is available from the following Tesco stores in our region:

Annfield Plain
Billingham
Carlisle
Chester-le-Street
Consett
Durham Extra
Gateshead
Hartlepool Extra
Hexham Extra
Newton Aycliffe Extra
Newcastle Extra
North Shields Extra
Redcar
Whitehaven

Benefits

:: All Border Fields English Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil is produced from crops grown in Northumberland

:: The product life cycle from planting to bottling is two-and-a-half years

:: One tonne of oilseed rape produces enough oil for 600 half litre bottles

:: The shelf life is one year

:: Once harvested the seed is simply cold pressed, filtered and bottled. No heat or chemicals are used at any stage

:: Border Fields has performed consistently well in taste tests and has a subtle, nutty flavour which enhances other ingredients

:: Unlike many seed oils, Border Fields cooks to a high temperature and is an all rounder in the kitchen, suitable for stir fries, roasting, baking, dressings and marinades

:: Cold pressed rapeseed oil is what is commonly referred to as a ‘good oil’ as it contains mono-unsaturated fats (59%) and poly unsaturated fats (30%) which work together with the essential fatty acids to lower harmful LDL cholesterols

:: Border Fields is rich in Omega 3 and has balanced levels of Omega 3, 6 and 9 – together these make up the essential fatty acids vital for lowering cholesterol, metabolising fat, boosting immunity and nourishing the reproductive organs, skin, hair, bone tissues and joints

:: Scientists are currently researching if Omega 3 can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s

:: Cold pressed rapeseed oil is a natural source of Vitamin E, a powerful anti-oxidant which protects against heart diseases, cancer and ageing