A WIGTOWNSHIRE yogurt producer has received just over £140,000 of funding to make production more sustainable.
Rowan Glen have been awarded £142,000 from SOSE’s Net Zero Accelerator Fund to purchase and install a cream separator and cooling and storage facility.
The funding boost for the Palnure facility will allow the business to produce its own cream on site, significantly reducing the amount of plastic and paper packaging used and decrease the freight miles incurred by the company.
The support is a further boost to Rowan Glen, which formed a new business 12 months ago after former owners Dale Farm Ltd. opted to closed the facility in November last year.
Now, a total of 18 staff are employed at the plant, with the target to employ 45 people by the end of the company’s fifth year.
The Scottish Government’s small business minister, Richard Lochhead visited earlier this week and was impressed by what the team has achieved in a year. He said: “It has been a testament to the hard work of all those involved that has ensured Rowen Glen is continuing to be a successful business in the region.
“This funding will further support jobs, increase productivity and opportunities for the business while improving the efficiency and processing to help the company reach its low carbon ambitions.”
Meanwhile, Rowan Glen Ltd’s managing director Alan Baxter is looking forward to building on the success of the past year. He said: “Over the past 12 months our dedicated team at Rowan Glen had full faith in themselves, their product and factory and have ensured that Rowan Glen has returned to several supermarket shelves across Scotland.
“We have also managed to secure our own label business in Ireland and doorstep delivery and food service contracts across the UK.
“The milk separator project is laying the foundations for a sustainable future, removing a large amount of packaging usage, transport emissions and energy consumption from our supply chain.
“Not only does this significantly reduce our impact on the environment, it also opens new opportunities for product development and reduces our costs to help ensure we continue to deliver our everyday premium products at an affordable price.”
