A Somerset dairy business has become the first national cheddar brand to be 100% self-sufficient in energy generated from solar and biogas.
Through its strategy, called “Wyke Farms 100% green”, the business has found a way to support the ecosystem by adding in an anaerobic digestion plant.
The plant turns manure into organic fertiliser and produces gas for the farm, dairy and local town of Bruton. Wyke Farms’ biogas, solar and water recovery operations are part of a sustainability strategy that has led to a massive programme of investment. It is well on its way to being one of the greenest brands in grocery.
The company makes a list of green promises on its website that it measures itself against in an audit every year. The promises are: to produce all its own electricity and gas from renewable sources; where possible to offset suppliers’ energy use; to save energy through investment and changes in working practices; to maximise use of organic nitrogen on the farm and supplier farms, replacing artificial fertiliser; to minimise package waste; to recover factory heat; to filter and re-use waste water; to share knowledge and encourage suppliers to work in more sustainable ways; and to encourage wildlife within the Brue valley.
Once there were more than 3,000 farmhouse cheesemakers in the West Country. Wyke Farms is one of fewer than 10 that are left and has become the largest independent cheesemaker in the UK.
It argues that its success is down to making visible the value it places on the natural world, the family’s commitment to sustainability and caring for people involved in the business at all levels.
