As part of our commitment to a greener future, we have installed a further array of solar panels on our distribution warehouse at Myrtle Farm in Sandford.

Nearing completion, the new warehouse, called The Hive, will be home to a total of 1862 new panels, joining those already operated at Myrtle Farm. All will contribute to the production of green energy.

We’re anticipating that the Myrtle Farm solar panels will provide a total C02 saving of 301 tonnes a year, and an annual generation of 1064Mwh of electric, contributing to the green energy that we produce and is  used across the farm all year round.

Eleanor Thatcher, who is closely involved in the introduction of new sustainability initiatives, says, “We’re really hoping for a good summer with plenty of sun! The sun helps us in so many ways – our apple trees need it to produce luscious apples for cider making, and now the more sun we have, the more green energy we’re able to produce ourselves for our cider making.

“Producing green energy has become an integral part of our day-to-day life here at Myrtle Farm. We have a biomass boiler that uses wood chippings from our orchards, and apple waste left over from our cider making process goes for anaerobic digestion – although we do save some for cattle feed too.

“With the new installation we now have over 3,000 panels at Myrtle Farm.”

Eleanor concludes,

“Producing green energy is just one part of our commitment to the environment. From the West Country orchards where our trees provide a natural habitat for wildlife, to the continuing reduction in our use of plastics, as a family with our roots in the rural community, we have sustainability at our heart.”

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