Source: tewkesburyadmag.co.uk
FLOWERS: Botanist James Wong with engineering director Clive Champion on the ‘living roof’ of the new Kanes Foods factory. Picture: Nick Toogood.
WILDFLOWERS and hemp clad walls may be the last materials ordinarily used to build a food factory.
But the newest building at Kanes Foods’ plant in Middle Littleton, near Evesham, is anything but ordinary.
The £30 million project, which was officially unveiled on Thursday, is a state-of-the art, eco-friendly salad packaging factory which uses bespoke equipment never seen in factories before and has what is thought to be the largest green roof in the UK.
Former owner Dr John Randall, who died last July aged 82 after a short illness, was the man behind the vision. His son Julian, who was at the opening, said he was proud of the company for achieving his dad’s idea.
He said: “It is very much my dad’s vision. We regret he didn’t see it opening. You have a beautiful building that makes a difference.”
Company director Roger Beard said: “This building has given us a new awareness.
What you are seeing is a demonstrative style of Kanes for the future.
“The project was the result of a liaison between John Randall and Clive Champion.
If you never met John Randall you failed to meet a major life force. He built Kanes up from nothing. We could have built a factory in a big box, but anyone could build a factory in a big box, and John Randall was not anyone.”
TV presenter and botanist James Wong, who laid the last turf alongside project director Mr Champion, said the factory was a real inspiration and that it had revealed materials, such as hemp-clad walls, he had never seen before.
Mr Champion said: “We wanted to respect the environment and build a sustainable building with state-of-the-art equipment. We were also determined we could produce superior products. We have a lot of bespoke equipment and some firsts in the UK and the world, such as our drying equipment. We wanted to do better than normal and we are achieving it.”
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