Jamie Oliver: Grow your veggies on the kitchen sill
The product range will initially include bell peppers, chilli, tomatoes, fresh herbs and “grow-your-own” herbs that can all be grown on a sunny window sill and produce fresh and delicious raw materials for your cooking. New products and concepts are already being developed for launch in 2011.
”The flower industry needs to innovate. The industry makes a great effort to continuously develop the products, but we’re not always good at promoting the good stories about products, raw materials, varieties with newly developed properties, or eco-friendly production methods. But this is one of Jamie Oliver’s strengths. He infuses his cooking with ideals and passion according to the motto “keep it simple”, so we're really looking forward to working with him,” says Jes Grandt Nielsen, Marketing and Project Manager, GASA GROUP, one of Europe’s leading distributors of floral products.
Jamie Oliver says: ”Growing your own food is really exciting and it inspires people – especially kids – to get involved with cooking and trying new flavours. It will also save you money. So I’m thrilled to be working with GASA to develop some beautiful herbs and windowsill vegetables so that anyone can start growing their own, even if they haven’t got a garden.”
Fresh produce on your window sill
A plant should be more than just a plant. It should generate added value for the consumer and be easily and inspiringly accessible. This is the idea behind the partnership with Jamie Oliver. In spring 2010, GASA GROUP will be introducing innovation in the form of a Jamie Oliver range of grow-your-own herbs and potted vegetables. A common feature of the concepts is that the consumers can grow fresh produce for their own consumption and use them as ingredients in their daily cooking.
Contact for comments
Jes Grandt Nielsen, Marketing and Project Manager, GASA GROUP, tel. +45 6010 5301 or e-mail: jgn@gasagroup.com
More details:
About Jamie Oliver
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Born in 1975 in Essex, UK.
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Married to Juliette Norton with whom he has three children: Petal Blossom Rainbow, Daisy Boo and Poppy Honey.
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Had difficulty concentrating at school and attended remedial classes to learn to read and write.
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Started his career in the kitchen of “The Cricketers,” his parents’ pub.
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Qualified chef and previously employed at the renowned restaurant “The River Café” in London.
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Founder of the restaurant chains “Jamie’s Italian” and “Fifteen” where disadvantaged young people get a second chance as chefs. “Fifteen” has branches in London, Cornwall, Amsterdam and Melbourne.
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A BBC crew discovered the fast-talking chef when filming a documentary on “The River Café”. The day after the programme was shown, Jamie Oliver was contacted by several production companies that wanted him to do a food show.
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Jamie’s first show, “The Naked Chef”, was aired on British BBC2 in 1999.
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It was entitled “The Naked Chef” because Jamie wanted to strip food down to its bare essentials. Cooking should be fun and easy without all the fancy stuff.
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He has made more than 15 food programmes.
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He is the world’s best known cook, and his TV programmes are shown in more than 130 countries.
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He has published 14 cookbooks that have sold millions of copies and have been translated into more than 40 languages.
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His latest cookbook is entitled “Jamie's Ministry of Food: Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours”.
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He works closely with the Scandic hotel chain about various aspects of their culinary programme.
More details at www.jamieoliver.com
About GASA GROUP
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GASA was established in 1929 as cooperative societies in Aarhus and Odense, Denmark.
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Among Europe’s largest companies providing floral solutions.
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Consists of three companies outside Denmark, four Danish subsidiaries and a number of divisions within GASA Group Denmark.
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Represented on the European market with sales subsidiaries in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy.
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Approx. 320 employees in the Group.
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The subsidiaries represent some 400 Danish gardeners who produce potted plants for the European market.
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The customers are conventional wholesalers and gardening centres, supermarket chains and DIY stores.
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75% of the turnover is generated by exports.
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The Group’s turnover in 2008 was DKK 1.6 billion
More details at www.gasagroup.com
About the Jamie Oliver product range
Consists of specially selected products of good/high/top quality.
The products are made in close collaboration with leading European nurseries.
Products: potted vegetables (e.g. tomato and bell pepper), herbs and a series of environmentally friendly “grow-your-own” products (a packet of seeds, a compostable pot and coconut substrate (growth medium) – just add water).