Family producer to extend its world-renowned reputation with Central England Co-operative link-up

Posted by nathan lloyd | Published: 04/01/2017

A world renowned cheese maker is celebrating after its artisan delicacies are now being stocked by a major co-operative.

Bosses at Fowlers of Earlswood, based in Solihull, has linked up with Central England Co-operative to offer a wide range of cheeses in stores.

The firm is the oldest cheese-making family business in England and the company makes all its cheese by hand.

Fowlers has been established since 1670 and the traditional skills and passion are passed down through the generations.

Adrian Fowler is the latest in the dynasty to take the helm.

He said: “Fowlers began in 1670 when Ric Foule changed his name to Ric Fowler. That was 15 generations ago and I’m the 14th. We sold our cheese in
Ashbourne market as we were in the Staffordshire Moorlands in those days and then we spent a brief time on the Hanbury Estates in Worcestershire. We
have been in Earlswood since 1898 and moved production in full in 1918. Since 1904 we have been pasteurising milk as well as producing cheese.”

Mr Fowler has real pride in his work and invests a lot of time and passion into the creation of his handmade cheeses.

His products are in selected Central England Co-operative stores and are already hugely popular and Mr Fowler believes that supporting local producers is important and explained that location was crucial to the unique flavour of the cheese, with high calcium water pumped from a 1,000 foot deep bore hole on
the Warwickshire farm, adding to the flavour and texture of the cheese.

“The family secrets, the water and the understanding that comes from over a century and a half of experience, combine to make Fowlers cheese so different from other products,” said Adrian.

Supporting local producers is important to Central England Co-operative. The business now stocks over 400 locally-sourced products in our stores, from fish smoked in a traditional smokehouse in Lowestoft to cakes from Fatherson Bakery in Alcester.

See a specially created film about Fowlers and the firm’s link-up with Central England Co-operative below:

Notes to editors

Pictures: Two photos attached feature Adrian Fowler at work at Fowlers of Earlswood.

About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK. It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with projected gross sales of £958million for 2016/17. The Society recently celebrated being named Leading Co-operative of the Year 2016 by Co-operatives UK. The Society’s principal areas of activity are food, funeral services, and property. Central England Co-operative has more than 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire.  The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2016/17.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.  It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence.  The Society supports a number of charities including Newlife Foundation for Disabled Children and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
For more information visit http://www.centralengland.coop follo,w Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth – PR officer - Central England Co-operative - 01543 414140
Email – publicrelations@centralengland.coop

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