Dig In guarantees local veg from Northern Ireland's Sparky Pac

Sparky Pac, the Northern Ireland packer of fresh vegetables, has launched a new brand, 'Dig In', to focus on exclusively local produce. 'Dig In' is Northern Ireland's first dedicated veg brand which celebrates its locality and seasonality.

The company, which is based at Comber, County Down, has developed the brand, which will initially feature locally grown carrots and parsnips, to offer shoppers in Northern Ireland guaranteed local produce.

The brand has been created by Sparky Pac, one of Northern Ireland's leading fresh veg suppliers to Tesco, Sainsbury's and the Spar symbol chain, in response to market research showing a growing demand from shoppers for guaranteed local products. The new Dig In carrots and parsnips are packed in 1kg and 500g transparent bags, and in a 500g mixed tray.

Gwen McKee, Sparky Pac's marketing director, outlining the thinking behind the company's new brand, says: "Dig In is designed to make it easier for people here to buy local. We decided to take this step, quite an investment for the business, because of approaches from shoppers asking us about where products are grown.

"Subsequent market research indicated the strength of demand for genuine local produce and also considerable confusion over what is local on the shelves. The research also showed that consumers wished their veg and fruit to be honest and consistently good. They wished, where possible, to eat locally produced, seasonal veg they can trust to be good for their families, good for the local economy and good for the environment.

"This led us to come up with the 'Dig In' branding that also emphasises its strong local identity. Our carrots and parsnips are all grown by us near our processing plant. Currently we have 250 acres planted with carrots and parsnips and a further 200 acres in other vegetables including savoy cabbages, caulis and sweetheart cabbage.

"Our message to shoppers is that our carrots and parsnips are grown 'just up the road' and are packed fresh. Another important feature of the Dig In range will be its seasonality which means they will only be on the shelves during the growing seasons. Dig In will not be available at any other times.

"This commitment is designed to reinforce the trust of consumers in the quality and freshness of our products and to help them to support and celebrate local growers," she adds.

Sparky Pac, a family owned and managed business, has a heritage of growing its own vegetables stretching back over 30 years. The company employs 40 people and has invested extensively in state-of-the-art washing, polishing and packing systems.