AN ENTERPRISING North Yorkshire businessman is launching a quest to bring the best North Yorkshire has to offer to the city.

Tony Hotham, of Full Sutton, has launched a business to bring the farming industry in touch with the city, operating as a middleman between small producers and large city retailers.

His most successful mission to date has been to infiltrate supermarket chains, and he is now providing fruit and vegetables to 13 branches of the KwikSave chain.

Tony said: "I used to have my own shop selling fruit and vegetables, but then the big supermarkets came in and choked everyone else out.

"In the end it was a case of if you can't beat them join them - so here I am in KwikSave."

Almost without exception the selection is produced in Britain, with more than half the produce proudly bearing the label Produced In Yorkshire.

From traditional British crops of cabbages, carrots, onions, to an extensive choice of salad vegetables and even peppers, the Yorkshire produce offers a great range right here in the city.

"It is somewhere between the farm shops which are further out, and more difficult for people in the centre to get to, and the supermarket giants.

"They won't take any local goods and that means people don't get local produce."

KwikSave is also supporting the arrangements with Tony.

Bill Turner, manager of the Hull Road store, said: "Here at KwikSave we like to support local food and Tony is a good example of that.

"I have worked in supermarkets for many years and Tony is the most successful retail partner I have ever seen."

Tony is now branching out. Next month he will open a warehouse in Pocklington as a base from which to trade to other shops, restaurants, cafes and takeaways who wish to Eat Local.

It is a move supported by his small producers.

One such producer is Bob Triffitt, who, with his son, Peter, runs Triffitt Nurseries, at Thornton, near Melbourne. He has been supplying Tony for several years.

"It is clearly a very good idea to keep supplying local produce rather than shipping goods in, then carting them all the way round the countryside," said Bob.

"It is a real way forward. There seem to be more businesses wanting to have local goods at the moment, and I think it's great."

Updated: 08:55 Monday, April 28, 2003