Here at KETTLE® we celebrate the bees! They buzz around our Norfolk farmland, zipping from flower to flower, crop to crop, tucking their heads under petals to find nectar and pollen. In return, the bees help the flowers by spreading their pollen. Many plants rely on the bees and other pollinators to fertilise and grow.
We are dependent on bees to fertilise many of our crops
As a nation, we need bees to fertilise many of our crops and are estimated to provide billions of pounds’ worth of pollination services to farmers worldwide. Many of the world’s food crops rely on insect and animal pollination to some extent.
Pollination by honeybees, wild bees and bumblebees is incredibly valuable for farmers. It is estimated that it would cost UK farmers £1.8 billion a year to pollinate their crops manually if wild bees disappeared.
Simply irreplaceable
The bigger question is whether it would even be possible to achieve the same productivity as the hardworking bees, if we had to pollinate manually in the UK. It is worrying to imagine a food system without bees.
Supporting Our Farmers
We take supporting the bees seriously and work hand in hand with our potato farmers to support their efforts in planting wildflowers that bees and other pollinators love.
Growing on “awkward” bits of land
A case in point is farmer, Richard Waters who planted wildflower seed mix last October on the edges and corners of three fields of potatoes on his farm nestled within the Norfolk Broads. These strips of land are areas that can’t be easily farmed to due to the tractors’ turning circle as anyone who’s watched Clarkson’s Farm will understand!
Spring is when the wildflowers come to life
Five months on, as Spring starts to bring new life, we can see the fruits of our labour. The flowers are growing steadily, and it won’t be long until the flowers bloom and we welcome the bees back onto the farm.
Care and attention makes for great tasting crisps
We truly believe that this passion and respect for nature and the relationships we’ve built with our potato farmers all feeds into the care and attention and ultimately the quality of our KETTLE® Chips which are hand cooked right here in Norfolk. We’re proud to support our local growers all over the county.
How to attract Bees to Your Garden
By planting herbs and flowers that bees love, you can help nature too! Try planting one of these in your garden, allotment or window box and please show us what you’ve planted by tagging @kettlechipsuk and using the hashtag #kettlelovesbees. We’d love to see how you get on!
- Common poppy
- Evergreen clematis
- Foxglove
- Lemon thyme
Check back here for regular updates on our blog about life on the farm, our biodiversity projects and how our farmers live in harmony with nature and you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram @kettlechipsuk.