For more than five decades, R&G FRESH (Formally R&G Fresh Herbs) has been supplying the very finest fresh cut herbs to supermarkets, wholesalers and the foodservice sector. Established in 1958, R&G is a third generation family business that, from modest beginnings as a market stall in Covent Garden, now supplies the entire fresh cut herb range to Waitrose and Ocado, alongside major restaurants, wh
olesalers and foodservice customers. The company was founded by Richard and Gloria Stevens, a pioneering couple who recognised the under-used significance of including fresh herbs as a core cuisine ingredient. From growing herbs in their own back garden for sales at Covent Garden market (a presence the company retains at the new Covent Garden site even to this day), to supplying national supermarket chains and establishing the company as one of the UK’s leading herb suppliers, R&G has grown from strength to strength. The founders retired in 1990, and the business was continued by their daughter Jennie Prestwich and her husband Warren. In 1997 their son Mathew joined the family firm, becoming a partner in 2000, and the business continues to expand in an increasingly demanding market place. Under his direction the company has grown from an original six acre plot to over 13 acres, including the expansion and completion of a multi-million pound packhouse and production facility. The company now employs up to 100 staff and produces more than 15 million retail units per year, covering dozens of herb varieties. In recent years, R&G has pioneered the research, development and implementation of micro-perforated packaging for the retail and supermarket sectors. This technical innovation substantially reduces product wastage by allowing the packaged herbs to breath, therefore increasing the quality and shelf life, without the need for any artificial preservatives. While R&G has developed and grown as a company, the original core values of premium quality, technical excellence, delivering to order and exceptional product knowledge, still remain to this day; a blueprint to ensuring continued customer satisfaction for decades to come.
