A major restructuring of the Jersey Royal Company, which has sole responsibility for marketing and distributing the Jersey Royal potato, in early 2004 has delivered positive results for growers on the island.

Described as the most significant change ever made to agriculture on the island, the restructuring has raised the value of the Jersey Royal while improving returns to all involved.

“In 1992 we had over 170 independent growers. Today, in 2006, 70% of the total crop is grown by the Jersey Royal Company itself with the rest produced by about a dozen contract growers,” said Tim Ward, JRC marketing manager.

The restructuring has allowed for significant investment, such as a new £2.5m pack house and sorting facility.

The company is now in talks with a number of other UK potato companies to further develop the position of the Jersey potato in the global market.

Broadening the choice of potato products available to the consumer has always been a strategic marketing objective of the company.

Working closely with a number of UK-based processors, JRC has already brought a variety of added value products to the market.

These include Jersey Royal minted new potatoes, Jersey Royal potato salad and Jersey Royal kettle crisps.