Cereal processor Silvery Tweed Cereals is continuing to champion the UK’s grain growing capabilities with its newest supply partnership. Working together with Country Durham spelt producers Craggs & Co., Silvery Tweed will be able to provide its customers with a reliable supply of competitively priced, locally-grown spelt products – a rarity in the UK grain market.
Based in Sedgefield in the Co. Durham region, commercial wheat growers Craggs & Co. expanded into spelt production after cultivating a test batch for a family friend and finding that conditions on their land were ideal for growing the grain. Craggs & Co.’s range of Red Tractor and TASCC-certified hulled spelt products was launched in March 2017, with customers ranging in size from home bakers up to large commercial bakeries and food manufacturers.
In addition to milling the grain into flour for their own range of products, Craggs & Co.’s spelt will be used in Silvery Tweed’s own processed cereal products such as flakes and kibble, which will then be supplied to the food manufacture and breakfast cereal industries.
Thanks to this partnership, Silvery Tweed will be able to offer customers a reliable supply of UK ancient grain with a very transparent supply chain whilst also controlling price volatility; due to fluctuations in European supply and demand, these benefits can be less easy to deliver when relying on imported grain.
The endeavour also highlights the consistent availability and quality of UK-grown spelt for product development purposes. Craggs & Co. founder, Stephen Cragg, explains: “To increase the stability of our enterprise, we have secured the backing of a network of spelt growers around the country, who are given specialist support and expertise from our team to maximise consistency between crops.” This, alongside the cost benefits, should reassure food manufacturers and NPD teams of the UK spelt market’s stability.
Silvery Tweed’s MD, Bob Gladstone, says of the partnership: “We’re very happy to be working so closely with Craggs & Co. The values of the two businesses are incredibly well-aligned: we’re two family-owned firms which are both committed to delivering quality, transparency and longevity in the supply chain.
“Like Craggs & Co., Silvery Tweed understands the importance of sustainability and longevity, both in terms of environmental impact and stock supply. And we’re both firms which champion local suppliers and promote produce grown in the region: at Silvery Tweed we source most of our grains from within a small radius of Berwick, and it’s great to be able to add British spelt to our product list.”