TV presenter opens new multi-million factory

Buy photos » James Wong lays the final turf on Kane Foods’ new £30million eco-friendly salad factory. (s)

A NEW multi-million pound factory, billed as one of the country's greenest, has opened in Evesham.

Television presenter and botanist, Jamie Wong, was on hand to open the £30million building at Kanes Foods in Enterprise Way which features a wildflower meadow roof merging into the surrounding hills.

The salad factory will produce more than two million bags of the green stuff a week using state-of-the-art technology to improve its quality and shelf life.

After completing the traditional topping out ceremony by laying the final turf Mr Wong said: "Buildings are one of the biggest contributors to global warming so it is great to see this new factory for Kanes Foods doing its bit to reduce carbon emissions.

"With its green roof comprising an array of indigenous wildflowers, it also promotes biodiversity.

"Not only is the factory good for the environment but the fresh salad leaves it packs are good for us too!"

The development of the Kanes’ eco-factory was the concept of the company’s late Chairman, Dr John Randall.

It was his vision to develop a factory that truly worked with and respected the environment.

Kanes’ Engineering Director Clive Champion worked with Birmingham based architect firm Emission-Zero, who specialise in sustainable design, to make the dream a reality.

The factory took three years to build and features a raft of eco-friendly initiatives.

The Green Roof, which is thought to be the largest bio-diverse wildflower grass roof in the UK, is planted with nearly 90 species of wild flowers and grasses including poppies, campions, buttercups and ox-eye daisies which soak up rainwater to reduce the likelihood of local flash floods, provides insulation and muffles the noise from the machinery inside.

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