Wine wholesaler and importer Lanchester Group is investing £20m into a new facility for Greencroft Bottling Company.
The new 22,000 sq m site in Durham will more than double the potential capacity at Greencroft Bottling to up to 400 million litres per year, which the brand claimed was equivalent to over a quarter (28%) of all wine sold in the UK.
When complete, the site could accommodate up to 10 bottling lines and seven ancillary lines for bag-in-box, cans, pouches, key kegs, and other new types of sustainable packaging, said the business.
The first of its new lines – a €3m counter-pressure line with sparkling capabilities – will be operational by spring 2023.
The company will then gradually bring the remaining existing lines over from the current Greencroft Bottling site, without disruption to production.
The building will be the first in the UK to use QuadCore insulated solar panels fitted on the roof, making it “one of the most advanced thermally efficient buildings in the market”, Lanchester Group claimed.
As the panels were efficient at cooler temperatures, Durham’s “rather chilly weather” was still suitable for “generating clean renewable power that we can use within our facility”, it added.
When construction is completed, it is estimated that the business will generate over seven million kWh per year of clean, renewable energy.
Lanchester Group MD Tony Cleary said: “We’re spending more than we might otherwise on a new building, investing an additional £3m in sustainable practices. But we’ll soon get that extra investment back through the energy savings, so what’s good for the planet is good for the business too.
“We’ve even adjusted the gradient of the roof to make the most of the sun”, he added.
“We’re a family business so if we can do it, then the big companies certainly can, being carbon neutral is just the beginning.”
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