Reynolds Catering Supplies, one of the country's largest suppliers of produce to the catering industry, is seeing 14% growth in sales of bunched herbs.
Reynolds Catering Supplies commercial director Paul Collins said the growth outstrips that of the business as a whole, which is currently growing at 10% a year.
He said that more herbs are being used than ever as chefs want to add new and interesting flavours at reasonable cost. Restaurants dominate the market with brands like Pizza Express taking a box of prepared parsley a day from Reynolds for all 480 outlets.
Overall, the main demand for the produce is for 100g bunches of fresh-cut herbs, with 'slow-growing' demand for potted herbs, particularly basil, from restaurants, and also for 'micro-herbs' such as cress in 30-40g punnets, used as garnishes.
'Our customers are very interested in where our products come from and it's part of our credibility to be able to supply that information,' added Collins. 'Our smaller customers may make a point of provenance and are also more likely to be concerned about seasonality.'
The company now makes 3,500 deliveries every day from six depots and a national distribution centre in Hertfordshire. Fresh produce accounts for nearly half of its 4,000 product lines.