British Apples & Pears brought growers, retailers, government colleagues and industry partners together at its annual orchard event in Kent on Wednesday 16 September to celebrate a record season for British apples and pears.
Speaking at the event, Executive Chair Ali Capper reported that sales from the 2025 season reached 180,506 tonnes, up 10.4% on the previous year. She thanked growers, packers and retailers for their contribution, while acknowledging the frost, hail, sunscorch and drought that have made the 2026 crop costly to grow and harvest.
Ali also reflected on BAPL’s work with the wider supply chain, including sustainability reporting, grower workshops and efforts to reduce duplicated audits. Her message was that continued collaboration and profitable returns will give growers the confidence to invest and grow.
The event, hosted by Mansfields, part of the greosn group, at The Night Yard near Canterbury, then gave guests a chance to look ahead. A guided orchard tour showed the 2026 harvest in action and some of the technology being used in British apple production.
Thank you to Mansfields and the greosn team for hosting, and to everyone who joined us.
Read Ali Capper’s full speech (PDF)
