Totnes, UK: ReRooted, which makes organic plant based milk, sought to lower its carbon footprint for its new cold room with a more sustainable and energy efficient system that could meet the increased production demand.
A Panasonic CR Series 4HP refrigerator using the natural refrigerant R744 (CO2) with a GWP of 1, was specified and installed by Keep It Cool Refrigeration.
Established in 2018 by Richard Eckersley, ReRooted delivers sustainably produced dairy-free milk alternatives nationwide, both to door and to retailers. The product is packaged in glass bottles which once empty, are returned to the factory to be washed and reused for a new batch of product. The business model circulates around a sustainable ethos, from production to packaging, and ReRooted delivers 40,000 bottles of plant-based milk per month.
Eckersley commissioned a new larger additional cold room to keep up with product demand. Requiring a new cold chain condensing unit that aligned with the business model and met his sustainability goals, he turned to Keep It Cool Refrigeration, which specified a Panasonic 4HP unit fitted indoors, facing mesh windows that help with the air flow.
Neil McCourt at Keep It Cool Refrigeration, said: “The customer came to us looking for a sustainable cold chain solution. Using R744 (CO2) refrigerant which has a low Global Warming Potential of only 1, we commissioned the 4HP cold chain solution from Panasonic. The install was quick and easy, and now, opting for the Panasonic unit, ReRooted reaps the environmental benefits with higher energy savings and low CO2 emissions.”
“As pioneers of sustainable dairy alternatives, we had the difficult task of finding a product that is not only powerful enough to maintain a low temperature in the new, bigger cold room, but which also meets our company ethos,” Eckersley said.
“The Panasonic unit commissioned by Keep It Cool Refrigeration perfectly aligns with how we want to move forwards as a company. As a well-known, trustable brand, we opted for the 4HP cold chain solution from Panasonic. Since the install, we have seen the unit to be a lot more powerful than our previous refrigeration units, with much quieter operation, especially considering both the internal and external units are housed together inside. In the new cold room, the unit holds the room at a colder temperature and maintains this a lot better than other products we’ve used in the past.”
The compact unit can operate with noise levels as low as 33dB(A), making it an ideal solution for its situation in the same building where the company operates.
“Sustainability is what we stand by, and we want to make sure that we are staying true to our values. With the Panasonic cold chain unit, we are ensuring we maintain our ethos in all parts of our business,” Eckersley said.
