Wyke Farms, the Somerset cheesemaker, has developed the first anaerobic digestion and gas-to-grid projects that Barclays bank has ever financed.
Barclays put about £8m into the projects and the bank was so convinced by Wyke Farms’ green strategy for business that the cheesemaker has become one of the bank’s case studies.
Wyke Farms believes it has also helped pave the way for other companies looking for finance for anaerobic digestion projects.
The business has been investing in state-of-the-art sustainable technology for several years to support its “Wyke Farms 100% green” strategy. Its brand is sold across the UK and in more than 150 countries worldwide.
The only independent cheesemaker in the top ten UK brands, it has partnerships with many local farmers, paying them an affordable price for their milk. Its biomethane gas, produced from farm waste, helps heat the local town of Bruton.
It shares best practice with farmers, national retailers and local schools and colleges at a visitor centre at the farm’s green energy plant. The business also holds meetings at the centre.
Wyke Farms supports others in efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. For example, it has a deal with 15 local food and drink businesses to take in their waste and process it so it can go back to farms as “digestate” organic fertiliser.
Seventy local farms are using Wyke Farms’ digestate to reduce the amount of artificial fertiliser they use on the fields.
Rich Clothier, the managing director of Wyke Farms, has spoken at industry events and taken part in webinars, including the Food Manufacture’s energy webinar, 2degrees’ “resource efficiency summit” and Asda’s 2014/15 sustain & save exchange supplier awards. He has also appeared on BBC1’s Countryfile and BBC radio talking about the future of farming.
