Speciality Food Feb/March 2024

specialityfoodmagazine.com 37 S ustainability runs right through the core of Two Farmers – whose crisps are made with the brand’s own potatoes (grown two miles from the factory) using green energy, before being sealed in fully compostable packaging. D awn and Joe Reade, founders of Island Bakery, never set out to be food producers. In fact, says Dawn, it was a huge sidestep from their uni days, studying geography. But something about ‘organic’ just ‘clicked’ for both of them. “At the time, in the late 90s and early 2000s, organic was very much in ascendency. It’s something we were interested in.” The couple set up a traditional bakery. But with trade booming in summer and slowing in winter, decided to create a product they could sell year-round – landing on biscuits. They noticed a gap in the market for artisanal, organic products in this category, and set about sourcing ingredients from organic suppliers, going on to craft completely natural, additive and preservative-free luxury biscuits. Of course, the premise took off, and biscuit manufacturing outgrew their bakery, with that arm of their business sold in 2007. At the point of serious growth, with new premises on the cards, Dawn says they had an opportunity to think carefully about energy, fuel and their eco credentials. “Rather than plugging into our existing energy provider we decided to design the factory around sustainable energy. We use woodchip to heat our ovens, our water, and our house. The wood is all from the island. There’s a lot of forestry here, so we can buy it all locally.” Island Bakery has also been able to tap into energy fromboth hydro-electric and wind turbines at neighbouring Isle of Mull Cheese, owned by Joe’s brothers. The brand is hoping to go B Corp in the near future, with strides being made not just in energy sourcing, but packaging too, with Dawn saying they are as eco-friendly as they can be at the moment in this regard...but that industry technology needs to catch up. “At first we used plastic trays, but we replaced those with little paper boats. Although they cost more and are heavier and more difficult to store, they trump plastic. We still have a plastic flowwrap. We looked at compostable alternatives, but for biscuits that needs to be completely airtight, and the filmdoesn’t perform as well. “We feel compostable films on the market at the moment are a bit ‘greenwashy’ for a number of reasons. The main one being the huge amount of energy used to produce them, whichmay not be green energy. And unless you industrially compost them, these films don’t break down. They rely on perfect recycling from the consumer. More improvements in technology are needed. “People are,” Dawn thinks, “too easily fooled into thinking all plastic free is good, but they don’t look behind the actual story.” Island Bakery continues on its environmental journey, and it’s one Dawn says is very important for all artisans. “Unless you’ve been in a dark cave for 20 years, I think it’s something everyone is aware of. And because people are more interested, it’s in business’s interests as much as anything to try to be sustainable. We’re proud of what we do here. This is a beautiful place. People come to watch wildlife and go on outdoor adventures. We wouldn’t want to be choking it up with waste.” Founders SeanMason andMark Green have a great deal of pride when it comes to their environmental mission, which began before they even sliced and fried their first spuds. A key USP for Two Farmers is the brand’s crisp packet, with around four years dedicated to developing a non-plastic option that would keep the products in top condition. Fully recyclable sharing tins (a nice vehicle for homemade bakes after they’ve been used) are also part of the packaging family. Sean andMark were adamant they needed to come up with something better than plastic, having spent a serious amount of time managing waste blown onto the farm from car windows. “That plastic will obviously never break down. We wanted to try and do something to change this,” says Sean. The pair were also mindful of consumers being ever more conscious of their use of plastics. The process, Sean admits, moved very slowly, and costs were spiralling out of control a year before they launched. “We never stopped to think they could be too expensive. But then Blue Planet came out about eight months before we launched, and the world perception of what we needed to do changed overnight. We said ‘OK, we’ve got to get this to market now’. We almost had an obligation to do it - although the costs were incredibly high.” The Two Farmers range consists of Herefordshire-inspired flavours, from Salt & Cider Vinegar (made with their own vinegar), to Hereford Sausage & Mustard, using local rare breed pork. As far as Sean is aware, they’re the first crisps in compostable packaging, made using 100% sustainable cellulose fromwood pulp, printed with biodegradable ink, and sealed with biodegradable glue. The packets, unlike other eco plastics which will only decompose in a commercial composter, take “between 25 and 30 weeks to break down, depending on the environment they’re in. And the same if they go into the water and into the sea. They’ll break down into biomass, water and C02.” On the farmSean andMark are working towards being carbon neutral in the right way. The most transparent way. This includes generating their own renewable energy on-site using solar panels and high-spec technology to increase efficiency, and green TWO FARMERS ‘We’re proud of our innovation in packaging’ cropping to enrich soil. “We don’t want to offset anything,” says Sean. “We think offsetting carbon is hiding behind what you’re doing yourselves. We are green cropping and planting trees, and we hope to offset our footprint by the end of this year.” Greenwashing is something Sean thinks is one of the biggest issues in the sustainability arena. “We feel an awful lot of greenwashing is going on at the moment, and people are hiding behind statements. We found this fromday one. We thought some of that might change, but even in the very recent past we have tendered with companies making huge sustainability comments, but didn’t get shortlisted because of cost. “The government needs to crack down on these companies that are making big sustainability claims but not doing verymuch really – just ticking boxes!” ISLAND BAKERY ‘We want our products to be the very best’