Friday 8 July 2022
Asda backs nature regeneration scheme at Yorkshire vodka distillery
Asda has awarded £10,000 to a vodka distillery in Yorkshire to support a nature regeneration scheme.
Ellers Farm Distillery won the prize through the Asda Supplier Sustainability Exchange, with the competition seeking projects that would decrease the impact on nature or that would have a regenerative impact.
They would also have to work towards helping Asda's Better Planet 'Nature' pillar priorities, ensuring its top 20 commodities are sustainably sourced and developing a natural resource stewardship programme.
Ellers Farm Distillery proposed plans to plant 2.3 hectares of mixed native woodland and heritage apple orchard as well as 0.5 hectares of wet grassland and wildflower meadow in the area surrounding the distillery.
The project is expected to deliver a supply of apples, the base raw material for the distillery's vodka, as well as decrease supply chain transportation emissions and have a regenerative impact on the environment surrounding the distillery.
Emma Gibson, Asda Sustainability Co-ordinator said: “We loved this project’s simplicity and commitment to the distillery’s surrounding area, whilst being able to see a project that showed clear stages of implementation and delivery.
“We are very much looking forward to seeing Ellers Farm’s plans unfold over the next year and seeing the prize money being used on such an important area of sustainability.”
Tabatha Hurst, Head of Sustainability at Ellers Farm Distillery added: “As a business in its early stages and new supplier into Asda, we are overjoyed to have been chosen as the recipient of this prize, given the variety of businesses and brands we were up against. We’re passionate about having a positive impact on nature and are grateful that our vision resonates.
“The support given to us by Asda’s nurture and sustainability teams has had a big impact on our business and we look forward to continuing to support Asda’s wider sustainability efforts into the future.”
