Sustainable Fruit Pressing: Westons Cider Invests £2m
Westons Cider, a UK-based cider producer, has unveiled an investment of £2 million to upgrade its fruit pressing facilities. Leveraging cutting-edge technology to minimise energy consumption, this investment forms part of the producer’s pledge to diminish its carbon footprint.
Westons Cider is investing in two of the most advanced cider presses to be installed at its Herefordshire mill, which will enable them to press up to 30% more fruit for next season’s harvest than what was achieved this year.
With the ambition of cutting carbon emissions by 46% before 2030, this new technology is a stride towards that goal. It runs exclusively on renewable energy sources and is 20% more efficient than previous versions used in-house.
Last year, the organisation invested £3 million in obtaining an automated canning line to enhance their production of recyclable packaging.
In addition, the company takes its pomace residuals from pressing and sends them to a local anaerobic digester. Here they are transformed into food-grade CO2 necessary for carbonating their delicious Henry Westons and Stowford Press ciders. This initiative removes the necessity of importing CO2 from remote locations, in turn reducing its supply chain’s road miles by 10,000.
Darryl Hinksman, Westons Cider’s head of business development, asserts that their mission doesn’t end there. As they are now undertaking feasibility studies to capture CO2 from the fermentation tanks which would have been released into the atmosphere and reutilize it for carbonating ciders if successful. This could be a game changer in terms of reducing emissions and preserving our environment!
News Credits: Westons Cider announces £2m investment in new presses
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