For growers
Over 1,700 tonnes of British onions arrive here every week, from growers the length and breadth of the country. If you grow alliums, we would like to talk.
FIELD RECORD / RED ONIONS, CURING
80+
Growers, UK and international
1,700t
British onions arriving weekly
40
International growers on the programme
1,200t
Crop recovered by NIR grading since 2014
The proposition
01
Long-term relationships
We are family-owned with no external shareholders, so we can commit for the long term. Growers who supply us tend to keep supplying us, season after season.
02
Science-led agronomy
Variety, nutrition, storage and crop health decisions grounded in data, backed by live university research rather than habit or hunch.
03
Technology that rewards quality
Our NIR grader recovers crop that would once have been rejected for internal rot, protecting your return and cutting waste. Since 2014 it has recovered 1,200 tonnes of UK crop.
04
A packer that invests
New 4,000 tonne curing and cold storage, automation, and multiple routes to market across retail, wholesale and processing for greater crop utilisation.
Standards and stewardship
Every UK grower we contract is Red Tractor or GLOBALG.A.P. certified, and most hold LEAF Marque. Our ambition is LEAF Marque across all contracted UK growers by 2028. On the farms we visit we see solar, anaerobic digestion, reduced cultivation and decades of soil-health work; our job is to measure it properly and make sure the data gives growers the credit they have earned.
And on the hardest problem in our sector, Fusarium, we are not waiting for someone else to solve it. Through the FUSED consortium, funded by Innovate UK and DEFRA, we are helping develop early detection tools including soil diagnostics and environmental sensing in store, and our Cranfield University KTP will track over 150 parameters from seed to shelf.
CROP RECORD / EARLY SEASON
FAQ
How do I become an onion grower for a UK packer?
Contact the Oldershaw Group procurement and agronomy team, who will give a straight answer on varieties, volumes and returns before any commitment. Growers do not need to be growing alliums already; the team also advises farms weighing up bringing onions or shallots into the rotation.
How many growers supply Oldershaw Group?
More than 80 certified growers the length and breadth of the country, supplying over 1,700 tonnes of onions a week in the UK season, complemented by around 40 international growers when the UK crop is not available.
What happens to crop that would once have been rejected for internal rot?
It is recovered rather than written off. The NIR grader identifies affected bulbs individually instead of downgrading a whole lot, and since 2014 it has recovered 1,200 tonnes of UK crop that would previously have been rejected.
What storage does Oldershaw Group have for grower crop?
A new 4,000 tonne multi-functional store cures the crop, managing heat, humidity and airflow, before transitioning into long-term cold storage. It is designed to turn over up to three crops a year: overwintered, set and drilled onions. Three-tonne bins cut forklift movements and handling.
Does Oldershaw Group have external shareholders?
No. It is a third-generation family-owned business with no external shareholders, which is why it can commit to growers for the long term rather than season by season.
Whether you already grow onions, shallots or garlic, or you are weighing up bringing alliums into your rotation, our procurement and agronomy team will give you a straight answer on varieties, volumes and returns.