Growing Kent & Medway has allocated over £1.6million to support 13 businesses in funding projects that will bring sustainable transformation to the horticultural and plant-based food and drink supply chain.
Funded through two separate grants, these projects were carefully chosen based on their innovative solutions to address significant sustainability challenges in the food and drink industry. From advanced technology for recycling wastewater to cutting-edge techniques for breeding new fruit varieties, these diverse projects aim to reduce the environmental impact of our food production systems.
The grant funders were particularly interested in projects that focused on creating circular economies and discovering alternative uses for waste products.
The first grant, known as the ‘Business Sustainability Challenge,’ offered funding of up to £50,000 to tackle key sustainability issues and opportunities. Eight winners will collectively receive over £287,000 in funding for their high-impact, short-term innovative projects.
Among the successful applicants is Tensei Ltd, which will use their £50,000 grant to explore the use of different agricultural waste materials as polymer fillers, reducing the reliance on virgin or recycled plastics in packaging. This technique not only lowers carbon emissions associated with plastic production but also creates new revenue streams for farmers and growers through the utilization of waste products.
Another recipient, Canterbury Brewers & Distillers, will receive over £13,000 to develop a system that uses waste grain, water, CO², and energy from their whiskey production facility to cultivate specialty mushrooms.
Dr Nikki Harrison, Programme Director for Growing Kent & Medway, highlighted the significance of these projects, saying, “We invest in real-world business innovation and research projects that demonstrate how science-led, sustainable innovation can be integrated into the entire supply chain. This supports the environment by promoting sustainability among Kent businesses and stimulates economic growth. Fresh thinking can unlock new revenue streams and markets through innovative waste by-products and processes.”
Nim’s Fruit Ltd has been granted over £22,000 to repurpose their fruit and vegetable powders. Nimisha Raja MBE, the founder of Nim’s Fruit Ltd, expressed her excitement, “Sustainability is at the core of our actions, and at Nim’s, we take pride in achieving zero-food waste within our business. We have long aspired to utilize our by-products to create new products that help consumers reduce food waste at home, but limited financial resources held us back.”
“Upon hearing about the Business Sustainability Challenge, we seized the opportunity, hoping that even partial funding would enable us to harness the substantial quantity of by-products we have been storing. We are thrilled to receive the grant and embark on this project, which will establish a fresh revenue stream rooted in 100% sustainable products.”
The second grant, the ‘Collaborative Research & Development’ award, granted £1.4 million to five businesses for large-scale projects. These projects will be carried out in collaboration with cutting-edge research organizations in Kent and Medway.
For a complete list of all the funded projects, please visit growingkentandmedway.com.
Growing Kent & Medway will introduce two new grant funds for the horticultural and plant-based food and drink sector in November 2023. Applications will be open to businesses registered throughout the UK. Join as a member to stay updated on further details.
