Since we started this business over 30 years ago our impact on the environment has been at the forefront of everything we do and infact was one of the main driving factors as to why Bernard Govier went into organic farming when he bought Langridge Farm in 1969 ( although he didn’t know that was what he was doing ).
We have always been firm believers in doing all we can to reduce our impact and are totally aware that selling Organic Produce, although a step in the right direction, is not enough.
One of our biggest challenges has always been how we complete our deliveries and our reliance on diesel vehicles to do this.
We have tried several options.
In 1999 we bought an electric van, a Citroën Berlingo électrique ! It had an supposed range of 50 miles but on a cold day 35 was more like it. It was fine for the odd second delivery or to get myself or Gavin home, but it was clear from the outset that it was never going to be any more use than that. Charging was also painfully slow and through a 3 pin plug.
Our next look into alternative fuels was in 2004 when we converted a brand new Toyota Hilux pickup to run on vegetable oil. This actually worked very well and also meant at the time that it was very cheap to run as there was no tax on the fuel under a certain amount each year. Again a good option for small deliveries or visiting farms but still along way off being a bigger solution.
For the next 20 years not much seem to change in the alternative fuel market and apart from making sure we ran the newest and most efficient vehicles we could ( including an early move to Euro 6 and AdBlue ) there did not seem to be may options open to us.
In 2023 we bought our first serious electric van. It can carry 1400 Kg and had a range of 120 miles making it the first electric vehicle that we felt actually worked on an operational basis. On top of this we can charge it from the solar panels we have making it even greener to run.
Despite how well this van works it still wouldn’t allow us to replace all our vehicles so we wanted to find an alternative solution.
This is where Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil or HVO comes in.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO fuel) is a second-generation biofuel that is a fully renewable and biodegradable alternative to diesel, which is why it’s often referred to as “renewable diesel.” HVO fuel is made from certified sustainable materials and shares almost identical chemical properties to diesel, allowing it to be used as a drop-in alternative while reducing net CO2 emissions by up to 90%.
HVO is a paraffinic fuel with near-zero sulphur and very low aromatics content. it reduces unregulated emissions of toxic hydrocarbons, Nitrous Oxides (NOx) and Particulate Matter (PM), all of which are harmful to human health and the environment.
The great advantage of this fuel is that it can go straight into our lorries and vans and with no modifications and after a conversation with Isuzu it even does not affect the warrantee on our vehicles.
Although this may be a stepping stone to what ever comes next whether that is electric, hydrogen or some kind of hybrid, we believe that right here and now this offers a great alternative to diesel for our deliveries and although it is more expensive than regular diesel we are very proud of the reduction it will make to the emissions caused by our deliveries.