WE’RE SOAKING UP EVEN MORE OF THE SUNS RAYS!

As you can probably imagine, we need quite a lot of power to produce and keep all of our products chilled, ready for you to eat!  

Here in the Valley, all our electricity is from renewable sources – including solar power from our own farms. Its cleaner and greener all round. Our goal is to be 50% self-sufficient in our electricity usage over the next 10 years.  

As farmers we see first-hand the incredible power of nature, always reminding us to put nature first, by playing our part in protecting and preserving the world for future generations. Part of our solution is using renewable energy.  

We’ve just installed a whopping 1,672 solar panels at our production facilities. It has an anticipated output of over 623 MWh – the equivalent of powering 207 houses for a year with green electricity! The installation began in July 2021 and is our third major solar power project. 

Last year, we installed 3,300 solar panels at one of our distribution centres in Somerset. They have an output of over 1,000 MWh of green electricity per year which will help power over a third of the site.  

The site is over 100,000 sq. ft providing a massive amount of unused roof space. We took the opportunity to utilise this area by placing solar panels to self-generate electricity, not only helping the planet, but also working towards our renewable energy goal of being 50% self-sufficient.  

Back in 2014 we installed over one acre of solar panels at our family farm in Blagdon, producing 450 MWh (megawatt hours) per year. We’ve also got 5Mw of solar panels in the surrounding fields of one of our production sites in the south of Somerset. 

Did you know that plants also capture sunlight, converting CO2 and water to oxygen and sugars for energy? With solar panels, we’re doing the same: catching the sun’s rays to harness its energy. We’re reaching for renewable and putting nature first. 

Find out more about our sustainable approach here.