A high-quality compost made entirely of cuttings from Jersey gardens has won “Best New Product 2005” in the inaugural awards of the Genuine Jersey Products Association (GJPA). The Soil Improver, made by the Transport and Technical Services Department at its La Collette green waste facility, is produced after a carefully controlled 16-week process and resold to Island gardeners to improve borders, flower beds and lawns.
A panel of judges led by GJPA chairman Ken Syvret MBE chose the winner from among the 70 members. The Soil Improver scored highest overall in a number of categories including innovation, quality, value for money and distinctness to Jersey.
“The team is delighted,’ Jersey’s recycling officer John Rive says. “The Genuine Jersey Award, with its emphasis on quality, is important recognition of the standard we’ve reached and we hope it will give local consumers the confidence to buy our Soil Improver.
“In making it, we turn Jersey waste into a bona fide Jersey product. This reduces the Island’s reliance on imports but it’s also a recycling scheme that does not rely on exporting the raw material. The entire cycle is within the Island,” he says. Gardeners bought more than 13,000 40-litre bags of the Soil Improver in 2005, with impressive bulk sales of 1,221 1,000-litre bags increasing the figures further. Every batch is tested to ensure it reaches standards recognized by the UK Composting Association.
“The Soil Improver is an excellent example of what Genuine Jersey is trying to achieve. All the key ingredients – including the production skills – are from within the Island, and by appealing to local consumers it retains spending within the local economy,” says Ken Syvret.
Two other entries were ‘highly commended’ in the Product of the Year category; Woodside Farm for its tender Jersey beef and the Jersey Pottery for its potato dish, which was originally designed for UK supermarket chain Waitrose.
The Member of the Year Award has been won by Fungi Delecti, a family-run business that grows high quality produce including herbs, salad leaves, eggs and shiitake mushrooms and supplies restaurants, hotels and shops.
A panel of judges led by GJPA chairman Ken Syvret MBE chose the winner from among the 70 members. The Soil Improver scored highest overall in a number of categories including innovation, quality, value for money and distinctness to Jersey.
“The team is delighted,’ Jersey’s recycling officer John Rive says. “The Genuine Jersey Award, with its emphasis on quality, is important recognition of the standard we’ve reached and we hope it will give local consumers the confidence to buy our Soil Improver.
“In making it, we turn Jersey waste into a bona fide Jersey product. This reduces the Island’s reliance on imports but it’s also a recycling scheme that does not rely on exporting the raw material. The entire cycle is within the Island,” he says. Gardeners bought more than 13,000 40-litre bags of the Soil Improver in 2005, with impressive bulk sales of 1,221 1,000-litre bags increasing the figures further. Every batch is tested to ensure it reaches standards recognized by the UK Composting Association.
“The Soil Improver is an excellent example of what Genuine Jersey is trying to achieve. All the key ingredients – including the production skills – are from within the Island, and by appealing to local consumers it retains spending within the local economy,” says Ken Syvret.
Two other entries were ‘highly commended’ in the Product of the Year category; Woodside Farm for its tender Jersey beef and the Jersey Pottery for its potato dish, which was originally designed for UK supermarket chain Waitrose.
The Member of the Year Award has been won by Fungi Delecti, a family-run business that grows high quality produce including herbs, salad leaves, eggs and shiitake mushrooms and supplies restaurants, hotels and shops.
