Tag Archives: Branston

Branston begins factory extension

Leading potato supplier Branston has begun work on a new £5 million factory extension to handle potatoes for the convenience sector at its main site near Lincoln.

According to the company the 1,700 sq. ft extension, which is being built by Charcroft Construction, will peel and prepare potatoes which do not meet Class I specification before sale to convenience food producers for use in a range of products such as prepared mash and ready meals. As well as reducing waste by utilising crops which to not meet pre-packing specifications, the facility will create 20 new jobs.

Branston technical director Mark Willcox told reporters, “We’ll be adding value to potatoes that don’t make it into a pack as a class I product, which is a great way to reduce food waste – a real win for both farmers and consumers.

“We supply prepared vegetables to the UK’s top retailers and this extension will go a long way to help us meet the growing demand we’re seeing in this area. We expect that this new business-to-business part our customer portfolio will continue to grow alongside the very successful chilled prepared vegetable lines that we currently sell to the country’s leading supermarkets.”

Photo Credit: Branston

The post Branston begins factory extension appeared first on Hort News on 17 June 2017.

Jack Stein promotes Branston’s Cornish potatoes

Potato supplier Branston has signed up the son of television chef Rick Stein to help promote its Cornish potatoes.

Jack Stein, a talented chef in his own right, is the ambassador for the firms Cornish potato season which sees around 30,000 tonnes of new potatoes supplied by seven growers via Branston’s site in Somerset.

Under the agreement Jack will produce exclusive videos and recipes for the company’s website, including roasted Cornish seasonal new potatoes with smoked Cornish sea salt and a Cornish seasonal new potato salad with beetroot and goats’ cheese.

George Christoudias, Branston’s sales and marketing director, said: “We’re very excited to be working with such a successful chef to launch our much-anticipated Cornish crop this year. With Jack on board, we hope to further showcase these fresh, seasonal potatoes, which are always very popular with Tesco customers.”

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Branston recognised for environmental achievements

Branston has been re-assessed by the Carbon Trust and has achieved the Carbon Trust Standard again for waste, water and carbon. This follows the company’s success last year in becoming the first company in the food and arable agriculture sector to have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard in all three areas.

The recertification recognises Branston’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint by taking measures to ensure a sustainable method of working. The Carbon Trust is an independent company with a mission to accelerate the move to a sustainable, low carbon economy. It provides guidance and advice as well as measuring and certifying a company’s environmental footprint.

Vidyanath Gururajan, Branston Innovations Director, commented, “We’re delighted to have passed the reaccreditation from the Carbon Trust. We’re proud of our extensive environmental management systems and we do everything we can, at all our sites, to reduce waste. We have invested in long-term projects such as our anaerobic digestion plant, solar PV generation and water recycling as a part of our commitment to our low cost, low carbon strategy. We’re looking after all our resources to improve long-term sustainability.”

Darran Messem, Managing Director of Certification at the Carbon Trust, added, “Branston has for many years shown clear leadership in the agriculture and food processing sectors through obtaining independent certification confirming that it has reduced its environmental impact, becoming one of the first organisations to achieve each of the three Carbon Trust Standards for Carbon, Water, and Waste.”

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