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Case studies. Harvesting talent from within: Barfoots' apprenticeship success story. Barfoots are one of the UK's leading fresh produce growers and manufacturers, specialising in a wide range of seasonal and semi-exotic vegetables. The company grows, processes, and packs produce across farms and facilities in the UK and internationally, supplying major retailers and food service customers nationwide. The business is built on quality, sustainability and on developing the people who make it all possible. Why Barfoots invested in apprenticeships. Barfoots partnered with CQM Training and Consultancy to enrol team members onto the Food Industry Technologist Level 3 apprenticeship programme, with clear goals in mind to strengthen technical capability, support succession planning, and create long-term development pathways within the business. "It's really important for us to develop our people not only for succession, but also for growth. When you're learning and developing like that, you can add a lot more value back into the business and it motivates the teams quite a lot." Geoff Faulkner Head of Factory Production at Barfoots Beyond capability building, the programme also helped Barfoots reinforce a wider cultural message that employees are valued and supported to grow within the organisation. From apprentice to mentor. The true impact of Barfoots' investment is seen in how learning continues beyond the programme. Having completed the Food Industry Technologist Level 3 apprenticeship, Adam Lukasik has progressed into his current role as Technical Factory Supervisor and now supports Karolina Baran, who is undertaking the same programme, as both her line manager and mentor. Adam's journey highlights how apprenticeship learning builds over time. The "confidence, technical knowledge, and professional maturity" gained through the programme are now being shared with others across the business. The programme experience. The Food Industry Technologist Level 3 apprenticeship combines structured technical learning with flexible, workplace-friendly delivery, including online workshops and dedicated one-to-one coaching. For apprentices like Adam and Karolina, working in a fast-paced fresh produce environment, this flexibility proved essential in enabling consistent progress alongside the business' operational demands. As Adam explains by completing the programme he has developed knowledge across key areas including: * Food science and microbiology * Industry analysis and technical understanding * Broader awareness of the food supply chain For Karolina, the impact so far has had both technical and personal outcomes: "I feel much more confident to take on extra tasks and it has showed me that if I seriously want to, I can do whatever I want to." A supportive learning experience. For Karolina, the experience of learning with CQM stood in contrast to her previous academic background: "This course felt like being in a family, I had many opportunities to arrange a meeting with my coach whenever I had a problem, and they were really helpful." The same can be said for Adam who highlighted the support provided by CQM's development coaches was a key factor in helping him stay engaged during busy production periods. For a deeper insight into how the Food Industry Technologist Level 3 apprenticeship is delivered in practice, check out our latest behind the scenes video that shows the programme in action. The impact. Barfoots' experience demonstrates what meaningful investment in workforce development can achieve in a demanding food production environment: * Increased confidence and capability across teams * Broader technical knowledge across food science and industry practice * Stronger employee retention through visible development pathways * A growing culture of peer mentoring and internal succession * More motivated and engaged teams across the business Would you like to find out more about our Food Industry Technologist Level 3 Programme? * Download Our Programme Brochure Complete the form below to download the Food Technologist brochure

Project Ginobeto: Forest Restoration in Peru. Following the success of the habitat regeneration project in the Ica region of Peru, supported by Sainsbury's and RBG Kew, Barfoots of Botley Ltd is now embarking on another habitat restoration project in Peru. The Ginobeto Forest Restoration Project is in the Nazca region of Peru, where Barfoots grow asparagus. Barfoots of Botley Ltd carefully selected this area for asparagus production as it has an ideal climate for this crop, yet is not an intensive agricultural region, which means pest pressure is reduced and resources are not over-exploited. Barfoots of Botley Ltd continuously monitor groundwater and aim to work collectively with its neighbours who use the same aquifer. Supported by Sainsbury's, the project is in collaboration with Huarango Nature (HN), a Peruvian non-profit organisation. Transforming a hyper-arid landscape to be water self-sufficient Like the entire Peruvian coast, Nazca is a desert area. Thousands of years ago, some areas were home to dry forest ecosystems, however, these have declined over time. The main historical cause has been population growth and settlement expansion, as people from the Andes moved to the coast, leading to extensive cutting of native trees primarily for charcoal fuel, and for agro-industrial expansion. The removal of this marginal vegetation has had an adverse effect on biodiversity, soil health and water stewardship in the area. Figure 1: Geographic location of Ginobeto Coastal agriculture in Peru has faced numerous ecological disasters linked to climate change, overexploitation of groundwater, overuse of pesticides and the destruction of dry forests. To ensure farming remains sustainable in the region, it is essential to reintegrate native plants and restore biodiversity across the landscape. Doing so supports natural regeneration processes, improves water management, and reduces soil erosion. The primary aim of these restoration areas is to protect threatened biodiversity and safeguard natural resources by creating and maintaining these vital and unique habitats. These habitats support bees and other pollinators, threatened birds and reptiles, as well as species that naturally regulate pests and disperse seeds - helping to promote wider ecosystem recovery and long-term resilience. Guided by images which indicate the historical location of vegetation and water ways, The Ginobeto Forest Restoration Project will reintroduce 3,000 native plants to restore the former ecosystem. The area has perennial groundwater, which, provided it is not over-exploited, should rise sporadically from December to March. This, along with crop moisture combined with night dew and seasonal fog capture, should mean that following the forest establishment, after 3-4 years, irrigation will be required no more than twice a year and eventually the area will become self-sufficient. Many local species are already highly threatened, and their survival will increasingly depend on developing areas like The Ginobeto Forest Restoration Project. The aim is to establish a permanent conservation area. Watch this space as Barfoots of Botley Ltd begin to share the stories of these species in their new home. Figure 2: Area designated for forest restoration Huarango Nature: Protecting native species Huarango Nature (HN) is a Peruvian non-profit organisation founded in 2017 as a legacy of several conservation projects initiated in Peru in 2001, focused on the identification, propagation, and restoration of native species on the Peruvian coast and in the Andes. Between 2006 and 2009, its founders developed the 'Huarango Project' (Kew-Ica) at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew) with support from the Darwin Initiative (Defra, UK). Its objective is to create, manage, and develop initiatives in: | Biodiversity conservation | Habitat restoration | Agrobiodiversity | Education and community participation The HN nursery in Ica has produced around 3,000 native plants of woody perennials for the Ginobeto Forest Restoration Project. These will be planted across a 3.2-hectare strip, helping to restore a unique riparian oasis dry forest in the arid landscape. The plants represent 31 key tree and shrub species, carefully selected to reflect the region's natural ecological communities. Together, they will help rebuild desert margin ecosystems and strengthen long-term conservation efforts. Following detailed landscape surveys and seed collection, these locally-sourced species have been chosen for their resilience and adaptability. Just as importantly, they will provide diverse habitats for a wide range of wildlife; from endemic lizards and nightjars to burrowing owls and desert foxes. The restoration approach draws on relict habitats as ecological reference, guiding the recovery of native biodiversity across the landscape. Species selection has also been informed by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew herbarium archives, alongside invaluable local knowledge and insights into the historical ecology of the Ica region, which was part of the original Ica habitat restoration project. These plants, germinated and produced at the HN nursery, come from the seed bank and bulking operation maintained by the nursery. Working with local landowners and supporting local communities, the seeds originate from the same desert region of Ica-Nazca and come from the last relict ecosystems from which the nursery obtains all the germplasm specifically for restoration projects to conserve and rebuild biodiversity. This project aims to conserve the biodiversity and cultures associated with Huarango (Prosopis (Neltuma)) forests, fostering educational and cultural engagement with the local population. Made up of members of the local community, and knowing that without education there is no conservation (and that no conservation means no education) HN has a strong school outreach programme to promote real engagement amongst children about the importance of native biodiversity and the wide-ranging benefits native species have. This project will extend this even further with the opportunity to show workers, local communities, and other key stakeholders, how these areas can be successfully integrated into commercial farming to deliver wide-scale benefits. Project status, February 2026 Figure 3: The area at Ginobeto ahead of planting. Irrigation: Ginobeto farm is currently in the process of installing the irrigation system for this restoration area, which will be used to establish the plants. Plant progress in the nursery: Recently Liliana from its technical team visited the HN nursery to see the progress of the planting and development of the plants designated for the Ginobeto Forest Restoration Project. All of the plants intended for the first planting are now ready for transplanting. The first planting is estimated to begin in in early 2026 following the completion of the irrigation system. Liliana, Barfoots Latin America Technical Manager with some of the 3,000 plants at the Huarango Nature nursery ahead of planting.

Improving resilience: new reservoir at sefter farm! Barfoots are delighted to have built its largest reservoir to date. Water is a precious natural resource essential to growing its crops, however Barfoots of Botley Ltd often get water at the wrong time, or the wrong place and this is becoming increasingly the case with climate change. To manage water efficiently Barfoots of Botley Ltd invest in water infrastructure, soil holding capacity (improving soil structure supports resilience to flooding and drought), and technology for precise water application. Reservoirs are part of its water infrastructure, they collect winter rainfall, storing it for when Barfoots of Botley Ltd need to irrigate. Following last summer's drought which was a very challenging period for its farm, to improve its resilience Barfoots of Botley Ltd invested in this additional storage which not only collects rain water, but is also fed by its water treatment plant which converts waste water from the factory into irrigation water. Its biggest reservoir to date, it holds 125,000m3, and will irrigate its crops in the surrounding area including sweetcorn, courgettes and Tenderstem. Later this year Barfoots of Botley Ltd will plant wildflowers and trees around the reservoir to further improve soil health and build biodiversity.