Peas and Beans

Call us on:

01904 448 556

Find out more about our ingredients

Swaythorpe Growers Ltd has a unique working relationship with Hartley's, this enables us to produce exactly what our customers require - to industry leading standards

Matthew Hayward
Production Director

Peas
Petits Pois
Broad beans

The specialists in frozen peas

Available in 6 different grades (AA,A,B,C,D,DD)
Packaging available in a range of sizes - 10kg 15kg, 20kg 25kgs sacks or 10kg boxes. Also 1kg and 2.5kgs bags for retail and food service.
Optically and laser sorted as standard.
90% of orders packed Right First Time (RFT) - this is cost-effective, as it is not re-packed from a bulk container, and safer as the order is not unpacked, which decreases the risk of plastic / cardboard contamination.

We supply peas to all of our partner markets, but our D and DD grade peas are perfect for soups because they maintain their physical properties when exposed the high terperature retort process.

The specialists in petits pois

Available in 6 different grades (AA,A,B,C,D,DD)
Packaging - 10kg 15kg, 20kg 25kgs sacks or 10kg boxes. Also 1kg and 2.5kgs bags for retail and food service.
Optically and laser sorted as standard.
90% of orders packed Right First Time (RFT) - this is cost-effective, as it is not re-packed from a bulk container, and safer as the order is not unpacked, which decreases the risk of plastic / cardboard contamination.

Petits pois are a great addition to supermarket premium range Soups and Sauces. The naturally sweet taste also makes them a popular ingredient in Infant Feeding products

The specialists in broad beans

Available in 6 different grades (AA,A,B,C,D,DD)
A range of sizes - 10kg 15kg, 20kg 25kgs sacks or 10kg boxes. Also 1kg and 2.5kgs bags for retail and food service. )
Camera and laser sorter as standard.
90% of orders packed Right First Time (RFT) - this is cost-effective, as it is not re-packed from a bulk container, and safer as the order is not unpacked, which decreases the risk of plastic / cardboard contamination.

Our baby broad beans taste delicious as part of a Ready Prepared Salad or alongside winter warming stews.

Hartley’s peas and beans

Hartley’s are one of the largest grower members of Swaythorpe Growing Group which is a grower owned co-operative based in East Yorkshire.

The group is owned by 40 farmers who provide about 5000 acres of land for growing peas, petits pois and broad beans each year.

Matthew Hayward manages the group and co-ordinates which land will be allocated to each grower member, when it will be planted (drilled) and what varieties will be grown. He also manages the harvest which involves three ‘pea viners’, one in field trailer and four 10 tonne pea lorries which bring the podded peas into Hartley’s factory at Thorganby as quickly as possible to get a high percentage of the peas from picked to frozen within 150 minutes.

The story from
field to frozen

Land is chosen from the 40 growers before Christmas then a planting programme is designed which will take into account heat units, altitude, varieties.

Farmers plant the peas in sequence from early March until the end of May. If the weather is right between then and harvest the peas should be harvested in the same sequence.

Matthew, Swaythorpes manager, starts to test the peas for maturity using a ‘tenderometer’ machine towards the end of June. When the peas are mature but still at their tenderest and sweetest the pea viners will be sent in to harvest them.

Peas are podded in the field and tipped into 10 tonne trucks which take them to the Hartleys factory. Here the peas are tipped then put through a floatation washer followed by an air cleaning process, pod removing process and finally a second wash and de-stoner.

The peas are blanched, colour sorted, frozen and then laser sorted again for good measure. We have a third brand new optical sorter in line if we need it to ensure we meet our clients specifications.

Once the product is packed it is sent directly into the coldstore where it will be kept at -22 degrees until it is called off by the customer.

Pea grades range from AA which are the tenderest and work well for retail clients, to DD which are firmer and starchier and do well in soups.