About Us
Who are we?
Tony's Veg Box is an offshoot of Tony's of Larkhall, a small family run greengrocers in Larkhall, Bath. Owned by market gardener Gerald Rich since 1996, we pride ourselves on supplying the highest quality local vegetables and fruit.
Gerald supplies most of the green vegetable that we use in the boxes. He is a small scale market gardener who works about 10 acres in Batheaston, just outside of Bath. A market gardener for all of his life, he followed his father (and grandfather) into the trade, first working for his uncle before renting a small patch of land and starting out on his own. Although not organic, he only sprays when it is necessary (due to disease or infestation) and not, like most farmers, as a matter of course.
Gerald also grows seasonal fruit and fresh garden flowers. Together with one of his his sons Luke (who, incidentally, is the author of this website) we have set up Tony's Veg Box so that we can supply a wider area with the produce that our loyal customers enjoy at Tony's.
Our Suppliers;
Smarts – Westbury
We buy many of the root vegetables from Smarts in Bromham near Westbury, Wiltshire. He also supplies us with some greens when Gerald does not have currently have a patch available for harvest. By sourcing direct from farmers like Mr. Smart, and not going through wholesalers, we are able to keep our prices down.
Pullin – Marshfield
Eric Pullin owns a medium sized farm in Marshfield nr Chippenham, Wiltshire. His main crop is corn but he supplies us, as well as some other local shops, with potatoes. Eric grows a wide range of the most popular varieties of potatoes, and we use his expert knowledge to ensure that our boxes contain the very best variety for the time of year.
Other sources – local
When we cannot find the products that we need from our usual suppliers we will try to find a local farmer who can help us. Gerald unsurprisingly has many contacts in the local farming community, and so we have built up a relationship with 5 or 6 local suppliers whom we can turn to.
Macks – Bristol
Macks are a wholesale company based in Bristol; we use them to supply the fruit that we put in the fruit boxes. Although we try to produce some local fruit, this is not possible for much of the year due to England’s cold climate.