Our History - WestCountry

The business, first established in 1856, has built an unrivalled local network of dedicated high quality local growers of seasonal fresh produce, as well as direct supply networks with all national and international fresh produce markets. In addition to providing access to the finest selection of fresh produce, WestCountry Fruit Sales’ customers enjoy genuinely market-leading levels of customer service and delivery frequency – deliveries as often as 7 days a week and up to three times a day, subject to location.

WestCountry is the oldest & largest specialist wholesaler of fresh produce in the South West

We are passionate about what we do and are dedicated to providing every one of our customers with the highest levels of satisfaction every day, no matter how large or small they may be. The company is a locally owned and managed business, operated by a dedicated team of highly experienced and knowledgeable staff.

Plough to Plate is a unique range of locally sourced artisan products. Driven by a passion for interesting ingredients our dedicated team of buyer’s have now added over 3000 fine food products to the range, making Plough to Plate the source of the finest foods in the South West. Hand crafted products from bread to beer, via charcuterie and chocolate, all produced in Cornwall and Devon, plus a range of superb specialist deli items sourced from across the continent.

The progression of the Plough to Plate Brochure.

The progression of the Essential Food Brochure.

The Essential Food Company, established in 1998, provides a full range of chilled and dried foods along with all the necessary kitchen essentials. Whether you need a sack of flour, a drum of oil or a catering box of washing powder, our huge stock ensures that you can get every one of those essential products every day. Acting as a ‘virtual storeroom’ for our customers, the Essential Food Company provides up to twice daily, ultra-short lead time access to a full range of chilled foods and dry goods.

We source leading brands at competitive prices, our customer care & delivery service is second to none

In 2014 we introduced two new specialist trading divisions to compliment the ranges available through WestCountry Fruit Sales, The Essential Food Co. and Plough to Plate. Firstly we were delighted to introduce Canara Farm, our very own specialist market garden. Canara Farm takes us back to our earthy roots as a high class primary grower of fresh produce here in the far south west. And secondly, Rungis Direct, our specialist food and drink import business that provides our customers with direct access to the full spectrum of the finest foods traded in the world renowned Rungis Marche in Paris.

At Canara Farm we are focused on growing a range of amazing speciality produce, chosen for its outstanding taste and flavour as much as for its appearance. Canara is now in full year-round seasonal production, benefiting from our unique maritime climate, being situated on 15 acres of sunny south facing slopes near Mylor in South Cornwall.

Tunnels & Raised Beds – Design Illustration 2016

Nursery Slopes & Fields – Design Illustration 2016

Canara Farm is also the home of the hugely popular Lizard Leaf organic salad business, exclusively available through WestCountry Fruit Sales. Furthermore, Canara also enables us to work with individual customers to grow experimental and unusual small-scale crops to help chefs to innovate and to promote uniqueness in seasonal menu development.

In short, we grow, source & curate a wide range of inspiring products

We are now the leading wholesaler of local, regional and imported produce in the South West of England. We supply customers across the private and public sectors, ranging from small cafés and independent retailers, through fine dining restaurants and hotels, to large schools and hospitals. Our extensive fleet of vehicles operates out of three depots across the South West providing a daily service to over 2000 delivery points across the region.

Shop owners, chefs and catering managers rely on us for competitive pricing, quality products and the breadth of our range, but most of all they value our first class customer service. Many of them receive deliveries twice, and sometimes three times, per day; This helps them manage the inevitable peaks and troughs of seasonal, weekly and even daily trading.

The dry goods warehouse at the Falmouth Depot.

Fresh produce in fridge four at the Falmouth Depot.

From our humble beginnings provisioning ships in the port of Falmouth, we have grown steadily and added ranges of foods to meet customer demand. We now have a stable of brands that make us the ‘one-stop shop’ for food service in the South West.

Westcountry Fruit Sales is our fresh produce division which includes our own Canara Farm and Lizard Leaves products.

Essential Food Company provides a full range of chilled and dried foods as well as kitchen consumables.

Plough to Plate is a unique selection of locally sourced products, artisan foods and interesting ingredients.