A FRESH produce company has expanded one of its warehouses in Evesham by 75 per cent while introducing greener measures, thanks to support of a £3.5million loan from Lloyds Bank.
Nationwide Produce is a family-owned business which started life in Lancashire as Bernard O’Malley and Sons almost 50 years ago.
The business prides itself on its ability to work across the entire supply chain, growing, grading, packing, trading, importing, and exporting fresh produce including vegetables and fruits from around the world.
A rapidly growing customer base, and general market need for reliable suppliers, meant Nationwide Produce needed to expand to keep up with demand.
The multi-million pound loan has seen the warehouse space increase by 32,000 sq ft to 56,000 sq ft.
It also saw the business’ pallet capacity rise from 900 to 2,100, allowing for more stock to be stored.
To support its green ambitions, the firm used the funding to build five temperature-controlled chambers which offer an 84 per cent reduction in global warming potential, meaning they can achieve the same cooling effect as previous chambers while emitting fewer greenhouse gases.
The new technology will improve cooling performance and increase energy efficiency in the business by up to 15 per cent.
It will also allow the company to store produce at the optimal temperature meaning the quality remains the very best for much longer.
Solar panels were also installed at the warehouse, growing its total renewable electricity offering by almost two thirds and bringing capacity up to 500kW across the company’s facilities.
To minimise waste which ends up in landfill, Nationwide Produce has also implemented a streamlined waste management process which utilises anaerobic digestion, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and removing landfill costs.
Now, the business is planning to expand its product range to include frozen foods, as well as investing in new packing machinery to enhance its offerings and further increase its appeal to its customers.
Tim O’Malley, group managing director at Nationwide Produce Plc, said: “The new warehouse space will be vital in helping maximise this opportunity for growth by helping us work more efficiently, improve and expand our product line, and ultimately, provide our customers with an even better service.
“We’re also committed to driving decarbonisation within the company and are proud to say 100 per cent of the power needed to run our UK depots and offices is being produced from renewable energy sources, including our recently installed solar panels.”
Charity partnerships are also an important part of the business’s offering, and it helps to reduce waste by diverting surplus food to its partner, Fareshare.
Over the course of its three-year partnership, the company has donated more than 500,000 meals to 3,825 charities across the UK, a total of 217 tonnes of surplus food.
