Our objectives

The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, a City of London Livery Company, is motivated by its charitable objectives in seeking to maintain and build upon its charitable reserves to develop its research and educational programmes for the fruit industry and to provide for the homeless.

The Company is committed to maintain strong links with research foundations such as East Malling Research (EMR) and to identify valuable projects for British horticulture that it can support either in their entirety or by pump priming . . . the latter often leads to attracting further funding by major organisations such as Horticulture Development Company (HDC), the Department for Food Environment and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) or the Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC).

Additionally, an individual is sponsored each year to participate in a Nuffield Scholarship which provides international research opportunities to scientists and growers with the aim of transforming that worldwide expertise into practical improvements in the UK.

The Company provides additional travel bursaries to scientists and students enabling them to attend international scientific conferences and congresses that will provide valuable expertise to be returned to research programmes in Britain.

Despite being over 700 years old and deeply involved in upholding the traditions of the City of London, the Company focuses the overwhelming majority of its resources on promoting excellence and supporting education and research within the fruit industry, both independently and in partnership with others . . fruiterers actively work to identify and approach prospective commercial sponsors to support specific educational or research projects.

Responsibility for the Company’s support of the fruit industry is vested in the Fruiterers Awards Council . . the Council grants awards for excellence and supports education and research into fruit culture and marketing.

How to find out more

For a full picture of our Company and its activities visit our website by clicking the  link below and to contact us click the email link.