AMARGH vegetable processor Gilfresh Produce has become the latest firm to invest in a new way to generate energy to avoid high electricity costs.
The company has invested more than £2.5 million to install an anaerobic degister that will see 120 tonnes of waste vegetables a week being used to generate enough energy to power the factory.
Any left over energy will be sold back to the grid.
The company in Loughgall was set up by the Gilpin family more than 50 years ago and they still run it today.
It started growing cabbages and scallions for the Belfast market and now has grown to a staff of 130 and provides vegetables and salad crops to all major supermarket chains.
The anaerobic digester will allow the business to be self-sufficient energy producers at a time when rising costs are putting pressure on companies across Northern Ireland.
Gilfresh Produce partner William Gilpin said: “Four years ago we realised that we could utilise our waste products in a more efficient way. At that point we were selling waste vegetables to farmers for feed at a very low margin.
"The business was facing several pressures including increasing energy costs, poor weather and challenging trading conditions. We travelled to a few sites in Europe to see how anaerobic digesters could work for us and we saw that it would complement and enhance our business operations.
“It has taken a lot of planning but we are finally at the stage where the system is up and running and producing electricity. We have one full-time employee who is in charge of the digester, which sits in a three-acre field beside our factory.
"Our core business banking is with Danske Bank and when we approached them about our idea for this system they were very keen to help. We were concerned that we would need to look at an external investor with higher interest rates, however Danske presented us with an excellent proposal to support our business in its plans for the future.”
Richard Stack, corporate banking manager at Danske Bank which supported the investment added: “Gilfresh is a very innovative business and the Gilpin family are continuously seeking improvements and solutions which will make their operations more efficient and sustainable. They are one of only a handful of companies to install an anaerobic digester in Northern Ireland.
“Their efforts were recognised recently at Balmoral Show when William won the Marks and Spencer Young Producer of the Year award. The company also picked up the Tomorrow Matters Award at the Henderson Wholesale Local Supplier of the Year awards for their outstanding contribution to CSR.
“We understand that rising energy costs are presenting a significant threat to many agricultural businesses in the region and we have been pleased to support Gilfresh with an investment to address this issue head on.”
