Veg suppliers need to supply ‘greener’ vegetables produced in an environmentally sensitive way, says Parripak Foods MD Gavin McNally
In June Parripak Foods embarked on the first phase of its expansion, with the acquisition of Solway Veg in Gretna, Scotland. Solway Veg will become our northern operation, enabling us to deliver to customers anywhere in the UK as a single source, providing a maximum delivery turnaround time of 24 hours. This will significantly enhance our networking infrastructure and help reduce the number of food miles we clock up, which is a cause we take extremely seriously.
Parripak is currently celebrating its 21st year in business. It was originally formed as a diversification enterprise to a family farm that specialised in growing onions and shallots. Today it has become the largest supplier of freshly prepared quality vegetables to food manufacturers. We still grow a percentage of our product on the farm and despite our growth retain the values of a family business. It is an ethos we share with our parent company, the William Jackson Food Group, which we became a part of in 2006.
Both Solway Veg and Parripak operate in green environments and we are actively working towards producing ‘greener’ vegetables by ensuring operations are environmentally friendly. For example, spring water drawn from our own borehole is used to wash the vegetables, before the water is treated in our own effluent plant and recycled.
It’s all about putting our customers first, focusing on quality and service and building long-term relationships with them. We are streamlining operations to provide increased continuity, security and supply of an extensive range of vegetables from both sites.
We are also looking at ways to enhance supply chain efficiency, by working with key growers to reduce waste, improve performance and increase yield. Plans are already in place to utilise onion waste as a source of renewable energy, with 10% to be used as biodiesel to power the site, some as animal feed and the rest as compost. This will completely eliminate waste to landfill sites, a first in the industry.
I’m happy to say that Parripak is financially secure, as can be seen from the acquisition. I joined Tryton Foods, part of the William Jackson Food Group, as supply chain director in 1995 at the same time as the company launched the famous Aunt Bessie’s brand, before moving on to Parripak following the acquisition. We have exciting plans and I am recruiting for several key posts to strengthen operations to help us grow in the future.
In June Parripak Foods embarked on the first phase of its expansion, with the acquisition of Solway Veg in Gretna, Scotland. Solway Veg will become our northern operation, enabling us to deliver to customers anywhere in the UK as a single source, providing a maximum delivery turnaround time of 24 hours. This will significantly enhance our networking infrastructure and help reduce the number of food miles we clock up, which is a cause we take extremely seriously.
Parripak is currently celebrating its 21st year in business. It was originally formed as a diversification enterprise to a family farm that specialised in growing onions and shallots. Today it has become the largest supplier of freshly prepared quality vegetables to food manufacturers. We still grow a percentage of our product on the farm and despite our growth retain the values of a family business. It is an ethos we share with our parent company, the William Jackson Food Group, which we became a part of in 2006.
Both Solway Veg and Parripak operate in green environments and we are actively working towards producing ‘greener’ vegetables by ensuring operations are environmentally friendly. For example, spring water drawn from our own borehole is used to wash the vegetables, before the water is treated in our own effluent plant and recycled.
It’s all about putting our customers first, focusing on quality and service and building long-term relationships with them. We are streamlining operations to provide increased continuity, security and supply of an extensive range of vegetables from both sites.
We are also looking at ways to enhance supply chain efficiency, by working with key growers to reduce waste, improve performance and increase yield. Plans are already in place to utilise onion waste as a source of renewable energy, with 10% to be used as biodiesel to power the site, some as animal feed and the rest as compost. This will completely eliminate waste to landfill sites, a first in the industry.
I’m happy to say that Parripak is financially secure, as can be seen from the acquisition. I joined Tryton Foods, part of the William Jackson Food Group, as supply chain director in 1995 at the same time as the company launched the famous Aunt Bessie’s brand, before moving on to Parripak following the acquisition. We have exciting plans and I am recruiting for several key posts to strengthen operations to help us grow in the future.
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