News

  • Camstar Football Tournament

    Bringing Teams Together On and Off the Field

    27 March 2025

    The Camstar Football Tournament was a fantastic event that brought together employees from every department for 12 weeks of fun, competition and team spirit. Colleagues swapped office chairs for football boots, showing off their skills and cheering...
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  • Ed Takes Centre Stage

    At the 2025 International Spice Conference

    17 March 2025

    As farmers struggle with changing climate we're all becoming aware that the sourcing of spices is presenting ongoinging challenges. CEO Ed Starke was in India recently to keep in touch with old friends and meet with potential new...
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  • Whatever Next!

    The Camstar End of Season Party

    27 November 2024

    After a gruelling season harvesting parsley and dealing with the complexities of the global spice trade it's time to relax and have fun. As usual the hospitality was generous, the music was classic and this time there was...
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  • A New Coloursorter for 2025

    The Optimum Novus

    22 November 2024

    While we've had colour sorters working for us for many years now we're always looking to see what's available in terms of the latest technology. We've just purchased the Optimum Novus which is the most versatile belt sorter...
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  • Camstar at the 2024 IFEAT Conference

    The International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades

    19 November 2024

    IFEAT was founded in 1977 to promote internation trade in essential oils. Each year they hold a conference in a different part of the world and this time Sales Director Tracey Clark represented Camstar at their event in...
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  • Camstar has a Field Day

    for Regenerative Agriculture

    13 November 2024

    The Camstar Regen Ag day brought growers alongside specialists to continue the journey towards a fully regenerative food system. In conjunction with Griffiths foods and Hutchinson's we had a really good look at a test field planted with...
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  • Ascott Autumn Racing Weekend

    and Beer Festival

    01 November 2024

    Another outing for Camstar staff, masterminded as ever by CEO Ed Starke. Gavin, Andrew, Jack, Chris , Neil, Alex , Ollie and Mark all went down to Ascot for the Autumn Racing Weekend & Beer Festival. Ascot's publicity...
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  • The Tracked Harvester comes into its own.

    10 August 2024

    The UK weather has been challenging this year, as it has been in many parts of the world. Heavy rains at the start of July made the fields wet, making many of our fields difficult to work on. Luckily our...
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  • iiE Silver Certification for Camstar

    02 July 2024

    Camstar’s commitment to the environment and sustainability has reached next level results, continuing to work alongside iiE we've achieved Silver certification withiin 12 months.

    Key achievements over the past year:

    • Completed 3 Environmental and Social projects – caring for our local area...
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  • BRCGS Grade AA+ for Camstar

    05 May 2024

    The BRC Global Certification Standards are always rigorous and highly detailed, and for several years now Camstar Herbs have had the privilege of AA status. That's the highest certification level achievable possible based on...
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  • A Third Harvester Has Arrived

    12 March 2024

    Keeping our factories supplied with parsley 24/7 just got easier with the arrival of our 3rd  harvester. While two harvesters can manage to keep us running the third makes a good backup, taking the pressure off the other...
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  • FEMAS Certification Achieved

    11 January 2024

    We're delighted to announce that Camstar Herbs Ltd. is now fully certified under the Feed Materials Assurance Scheme. This parallels our longstanding BRC certification but applies towards feed materials which will be supplied into the feed industry.
    We...
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  • The End of the 2023 Parsley Season

    23 November 2023

    They say there has to be rain before a rainbow, and we've certainly had plenty of rain this season. After a dry start to the year the team at Camstar have been faced with difficult conditions in the...
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  • Ed Attends IFEAT 2023 in Berlin

    17 October 2023

    CEO Ed Starke recently travelled to Germany to attend the 2023 conference for the International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades. IFEAT, founded in 1977, promotes internation trade in essential oils. For this year's...
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  • 2023 Camomile Harvest Going Well

    09 August 2023

    Camstar's 2023 Camomile harvest is currently proceeding well. After slow growth in the earlier parts of the year the plentiful rains of July, and now August, have given the plants all they need to grow. The only downside...
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  • Camstar Sponsors Diss Rugby Football Club

    18 July 2023

    CEO Ed Starke is always keen to appreciate sporting activities, especially if there's no direct involvement on his part. Ed's patronage will be rewarded with a prominently displayed Camstar logo at the pitch side, seen here in an...
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  • BBC News Wild Exaggerations

    10 July 2023

    You may have seen a worrying news item on BBC's Look East recently about a fire. Well "don't panic", it was all a bit overblown. While we did have a small fire at our Camstar 1 factory it...
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  • iiE Bronze Accreditation for Sustainability

    29 March 2023

    Operations Director Gav Keach's priority for 2022/23 was Sustainability. To show our commitment  we registered with Investors In The Environment (iiE) and attained an industry recognised accreditation.

    iiE is a national environmental scheme designed to help organisations...
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  • Team Camstar at the Six Nations

    Six Nations Calcutta Cup

    08 February 2023

    CEO Ed Starke appears to be becoming a connoisseur of vicariously experienced sporting events. This time he sent a crack Camstar team to Twickenham for the significant rugby match between England and Scotland. When those rivals meet at...
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  • A Visit from a Customer

    12 January 2023

    CEO Ed Starke and Sales Director Tracey Clark on hand to offer a warm welcome to our visitors from Pacific Spice, who came all the way from California in the USA.

    Ed's sporting a very casual look...
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  • Congratulations Gavin, Tim and Neil

    23 December 2022

    When Gavin Keach started at Camstar back in 2021 the last thing he expected was to be overseeing the construction of a new factory. As Operations Director he's had to make it happen, and his efforts are now...
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  • End of Harvest Party

    07 December 2022

    The Camstar 'End of Harvest' celebration seems to be becoming a regular feature now. The traditional Christmas party has been updated by CEO Ed Starke to create a fun event for office and production staff. A hired marquee...
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  • It's Tree Planting Week At Camstar

    07 December 2022

    It's tree planting week at Camstar, as all Camstar staff are invited to plant one of 150 Hornbeam seedlings which will develop into an hedge at our Chestnut's Farm site. The hornbeam is an indigenous variety, and doesn't...
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  • Out and About Again

    19 October 2022

    What's that smart looking bloke doing in Vancouver?

    ...what's the connection to our 100% natural camomile oil?

    ...and what's he trying to hide under his jacket?

    We asked CEO Ed Starke for further details, but with his usual air of mystery he wasn't...
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  • New Products from Camstar

    Rainforrest Alliance certified cassia, and a new range from Mexico

    19 October 2022

    We're very pleased to introduce our customers to Vietnamese cassia that is certified by the Rainforest Alliance, an initiative that supports rural growers in ways that help to protect valuable eco-systems throughout the world.
    These ethnic minority women...
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  • A Look Inside the New Factory

    and the View

    05 October 2022

    With the 2022 parsley running out fast it doesn't look like the new factory is going to go into production before 2023. We'd hoped it would be, but that dry Summer just didn't encourage the parsley to grow...
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  • Harvest Continues After Recent Rainfall

    29 September 2022

    With the drought it's been a terrible year for parsley, without rain it just won't grow. Indeed we had fears that harvest would be over by now. Luckily the weather has turned, and now we'll be going on...
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  • Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

    In Memorium

    20 September 2022

    Here at Camstar we're deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this sad time as we look back on an exemplary life of service...
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  • Eye Heritage Day 18th Sept. 2022

    Supported by Camstar

    18 September 2022

    Visitors to the Suffolk town of Eye on Sunday 18th of September were able to enjoy a free walk and other entertainments as part of the Eye Heritage Day. The picturesque market town is rich in local history...
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  • 2022 Camomile Harvest Complete

    24 August 2022

    The almost complete absence of rain had really slowed growth of our camomile plants this year, and come harvest time they were noticeably low to the ground. Above we see the camomile being cut and left to dry...
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  • Work on the New Factory Continues.

    24 August 2022

    For weeks it looked like a skeleton, but now the new Camstar 1 factory is fully covered. Work now goes on at a pace to get it running for current parsley season. The main dryers are already in...
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  • Our 2022 Parsley Harvest Has Begun

    14 July 2022

    Camstar's 2022 parsley harvest is now under way, with the first load coming in on the 4th of July. The Camstar 2 factory is running well, and the new Camstar 1 factory should be coming on line soon....
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  • 2022 Camomile Crop Doing Well

    06 July 2022

    Once again it's the time of year for camomile, with the flowers making their usual show in the fields and the familiar scent drifting over Chestnuts Farm. Soon the harvest will start and judging by the appearance of...
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  • Congratulations Gavin, and welcome to Melanie

    06 July 2022

    Following an invitation by the directors of Camstar Herbs we're very pleased to announce that Gavin Keach, formerly Operations Manager, has now been promoted to Operations Director. This is in recognition of his hard work and dedication over...
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  • Camstar from the Air

    New Factory Looking Good

    18 May 2022

    Here at Camstar we're looking forward to the 2022 parsley season which should see the new factory working at full capacity. The main structure of the building is now complete, concrete floors are in place and we've even...
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  • Sieve Testing at Camstar

    Got to get it right

    18 May 2022

    Quality Assurance Manager Jack Pickerden has been keen to tell me about his latest piece of test gear, a RO-TAP RX29 test sieve shaker. While sieve testing has been traditionally done manually by that method it's not always...
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  • Camstar Sponsors 2 ASTA Scholarships

    27 April 2022

    Every year ASTA, the American Spice Trade Association, offers scholarships of $1,000 to students under their Susan L. Abbott Memorial scheme. This year CEO Ed Starke is happy to announce that Camstar have funded 2 of these scholarships...
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  • Camstar Staff Looking Smart

    The New Uniforms Have Arrived

    13 April 2022

    A new look for Camstar Herbs, as from now on staff will be wearing our stylish uniforms. The green polo shirts, featuring the Camstar logo, will be visible on site, and as workers make the short walk to...
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  • Warehouses Now Complete

    13 April 2022

    Our project to vastly increase the capacity of our warehousing facilities is now close to completion, the next big task is to fill it with our ever expanding range of herbs and spices.

    Here we see the...
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  • Aid Arrives for Ukrainian Refugees

    07 April 2022

    Our lorry full of essential supplies arrived in Poland for unloading at 4am on 06/04/22. The 14 tonne cargo contains food and other items including 3 tonnes of Heinz Big Soups donated by CEO Ed Starke himself, and...
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  • Donations for Refugees

    Can you help?

    16 March 2022

    Camstar Herbs are now collecting donations to send to the Ukrainian Refugees in Poland, via a lorry which Evergreen Harvesting will be driving. We are reaching out to our surrounding community, to ask for your help in donating...
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  • The New Factory

    16 February 2022

    The structure of the new factory already dominates Camstar's main site at Chestnuts Farm. The tall structure is designed for two new state of the art dryers and we've taken the opportunity to really optimise the layout. Basically...
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  • An Empty Warehouse at Camstar?

    How is that even possible?

    15 February 2022

    Not something you'd expect to see, and of course there's a very easy explanation. Racking has only just been completed in one of our new warehouses, there simply hasn't been time to fill it yet. Nevertheless a start...
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  • Big Plans for 2022

    New Warehouses Looking Impressive

    11 January 2022

    Work on the new warehouse facility at our Chestnuts Farm site is really coming together, with concrete floors completed and the full scale of the buildings now visible without those protective fences which have been a feature of...
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  • Camstar Group Celebration Party

    Did It Really Happen?

    09 December 2021

    With your regular correspondant unable to attend, people were asked to take pictures of the festivities as CEO Ed Starke invited Camstar Group employess and associates to "Raise a Glass to Our Future". These photos proved harder to...
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  • Where Does Our Parsley Go?

    18 November 2021

    Your correspondent is always pleased to receive interesting images, but this one from Group Sales Director Martin Hoxworth didn't impress at first glance.  CEO Ed Starke had deemed it newsworthy so further investigation was required, obviously it didn't...
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  • We Now Have a Floor

    It's Big

    18 November 2021

    Work on the additional warehouse space at our Chestnut's Farm site continues to progress, with the first concrete floor now in place. Large as it looks, this is only about a third of the development. Here we see...
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  • New Warehouse Space

    Construction Continues at a Pace

    28 October 2021

    Our last report only hinted at the extent of the latest additions to warehouse space. In addition to the recently acquired Warehouse 3, on the opposite side of the road, construction of no less than 3 additional warehouse buildings is...
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  • Construction at Camstar

    Yet More Warehouse Space

    30 September 2021

    A large new warehouse is currently under construction at the Chestnuts Farm site as part of an ongoing program of investment and expansion.. It's situated next to the existing warehousing facility and adds another 150,000ft². 

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  • The Camstar Euro 2020 Team

    09 September 2021

    The picture that says it all, from left to right Gavin Keach (Operations Manager), Jack Pickerden (Quality Assurance Manager), Paul Williams (Assistant Warehouse Manager) and Neil Harkett (Warehouse Manager). None of them expected to be there, but somehow...
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