We’re a second generation family run business. That means you can expect personal service, care and attention – as well as very quick, efficient decision-making. But at the same time we work to the highest levels. We’re accredited to BRC, Soil Association and the Farm Assurance Fresh Produce Scheme.
Our 450 loyal people have a real feeling and passion for what they do. They deal with volatility every day – from varying growing conditions to unpredictable weather. They take ownership. That in turn gives us complete control – from the moment we plant a seed to when we deliver to your premises. It also makes sure that we can trace everything at every stage.
And because we’re involved at board level in the Pepper Technology Group, Cucumber Association and Tomato Growers Association – as well as being involved in the Lea Valley Growers Association and Soil Association Working Party – we’re part of the voice of industry. We’re helping to shape the future.
Our 450 loyal people have a real feeling and passion for what they do.
1952
The fertile fields of Sicily
Francesco Cannatella left school at just eight years old. He went to work alongside his father and uncles in the fields around Cianciana in Sicily where they lived. His first job was to take his family bread, cheese and wine as they cultivated the land. Just a few miles away in Burgio in the same Sicilian province of Agrigento another young boy, Salvatore Colletti, was helping his father Giuseppe to grow tomatoes and other vegetables to eat, trade and sell. They didn’t know each other, but the land was their common bond. It was in their blood. It would tie them together.
1957-1959
Arriving in England
Salvatore came over to England at the age of thirteen with his mother and father. He stayed at school for just six months, leaving to work on farms and in factories to help his family earn a living. They were starting again from scratch. It was the same story for Francesco who arrived two years later in 1959 to join his father, another Salvatore. Aged sixteen he found work wherever he could – in factories, on the rails … and naturally enough in greenhouses.
1967-1977
Our first nurseries
English nurseries in those days were simple but inefficient wooden houses. Still living and working in separate places, Francesco and Salvatore knew they could do better, and grow great produce the way they had learned in Sicily. So at 23, Salvatore bought and enlarged a two acre plot at Roydon with four other Italian partners to grow cucumbers. Francesco bought nurseries for cucumbers and tomatoes at Tylers Cross, Nazeing and Waltham Abbey. When they finally met they became friends and went into business together, joining forces and buying Smallford in 1977.
1977-2010
A growing business
But the business developed and thrived. It grew beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. And there were two other important new additions – Francesco’s son Sam and Salvatore’s son Joe. Born and raised on the nurseries, they worked in the business from an early age. After school and at weekends they made boxes, packed cucumbers, watered the plants and learned at their fathers’ side. Later they worked in every area from the greenhouses to the pack house and distribution. When both fathers sadly passed away within months of each other, in December 2010 and March 2011 respectively, Joe and Sam were more than ready to take over.
2018
Dedicated to the best
Still a family business – and now in our third generation – we’re still growing and supplying the very best tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Our growing methods keep them as natural as possible from the purchase of high grade seeds, the attention to detail with the growing of the plants and the care we take in harvesting the produce. We supply over 52 weeks with the integration of our five UK production sites in Hertfordshire, Essex, and our overseas partnerships. We produce and supply fresh produce nationally as well as internationally.
1952
The fertile fields of Sicily
Francesco Cannatella left school at just eight years old. He went to work alongside his father and uncles in the fields around Cianciana in Sicily where they lived. His first job was to take his family bread, cheese and wine as they cultivated the land. Just a few miles away in Burgio in the same Sicilian province of Agrigento another young boy, Salvatore Colletti, was helping his father Giuseppe to grow tomatoes and other vegetables to eat, trade and sell. They didn’t know each other, but the land was their common bond. It was in their blood. It would tie them together.
1957-1959
Arriving in England
Salvatore came over to England at the age of thirteen with his mother and father. He stayed at school for just six months, leaving to work on farms and in factories to help his family earn a living. They were starting again from scratch. It was the same story for Francesco who arrived two years later in 1959 to join his father, another Salvatore. Aged sixteen he found work wherever he could – in factories, on the rails … and naturally enough in greenhouses.
1967-1977
Our first nurseries
English nurseries in those days were simple but inefficient wooden houses. Still living and working in separate places, Francesco and Salvatore knew they could do better, and grow great produce the way they had learned in Sicily. So at 23, Salvatore bought and enlarged a two acre plot at Roydon with four other Italian partners to grow cucumbers. Francesco bought nurseries for cucumbers and tomatoes at Tylers Cross, Nazeing and Waltham Abbey. When they finally met they became friends and went into business together, joining forces and buying Smallford in 1977.
Salvatore Colletti
05.11.44 – 25.12.10
Francesco Cannatella
01.07.42 – 04.03.11
1977-2010
A growing business
But the business developed and thrived. It grew beautiful tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. And there were two other important new additions – Francesco’s son Sam and Salvatore’s son Joe. Born and raised on the nurseries, they worked in the business from an early age. After school and at weekends they made boxes, packed cucumbers, watered the plants and learned at their fathers’ side. Later they worked in every area from the greenhouses to the pack house and distribution. When both fathers sadly passed away within months of each other, in December 2010 and March 2011 respectively, Joe and Sam were more than ready to take over.
2018
Dedicated to the best
Still a family business – and now in our third generation – we’re still growing and supplying the very best tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers. Our growing methods keep them as natural as possible from the purchase of high grade seeds, the attention to detail with the growing of the plants and the care we take in harvesting the produce. We supply over 52 weeks with the integration of our five UK production sites in Hertfordshire, Essex, and our overseas partnerships. We produce and supply fresh produce nationally as well as internationally.
Corporate Social Resonsibility
At Glinwell, we are committed to being a socially responsible organisation, from our management through to our impact on the environment. We aim to be as sustainable as possible, while continuing to produce a versatile range of high quality products for our customers.
People
Ensuring safety at work for all employees, including good working conditions, with health and safety procedures in place and complying by all industry relevant standards.
At Glinwell we believe that all employees should be treated with respect and have equal opportunities.
Read our Modern Slavery Statement highlighting our policies and procedures, internal measures and employee training.
Product
Ensuring that all edible produce is utilised, with outlets for produce including our own sauces Cannatella & Colletti and food redistribution charity FareShare. Since partnering with FareShare in June 2016, we have already supplied over 15,000 kilos of tomatoes and contributed to over 80,000 FareShare meals.
Our new LED grow light system in one of our greenhouses enables us to grow cucumbers on British soil all year round, reducing food miles and ensuring fresh, quality product for our customers.
Planet
Not all product grown can be perfect, but to ensure our waste is minimised, our wonky produce is utilised to reduce our negative impact on the environment. It may not look perfect, but it is still perfectly edible and tastes delicious!
We are committed to achieving our goal of zero to landfill by 2020, and already recycle all our paper, plastics, cardboard and plant waste. All our general waste is disposed of responsibly, avoiding landfill. Alongside this commitment, all our printing paper in the business is ‘carbon neutral’ in order to be further responsible, and we successfully reduced our cardboard usage in the business by over 700 tonnes at the end of 2017.
We are constantly researching new packaging formats and innovations to ensure our products are packed in the most environmentally-friendly way.
We don’t like to waste water, so we collect our irrigation run-off, clean it and return it to a storage tank ready for re-use. In the same way, we enrich the air in our greenhouses with the useful leftover gases (like CO2) produced by our heating boilers.
