Kirsty's: Harrogate-based gluten and dairy free chilled food producer develops new Net Zero plan with help from Manufacturing Growth Programme

Kirsty’s, which was started by entrepreneur Kirsty Henshaw after her son Jacob was discovered to be allergic to nuts and intolerant to gluten and diary, is working towards being net zero by 2050. The company reached out to MGP to part-fund an environmental audit and bring in a specialist consultant that was experienced in complex food manufacturing and could support its carbon reporting and help it put in place its net zero plan.

A net zero plan was a key requirement of one of Kirsty’s largest retail customers.

Natalie Parker, marketing director for Kirsty’s, said: “One of our retail customers announced in January this year that it wanted all suppliers to have a plan in place by the end of the year to get to net zero by 2050.

“We’ve only been manufacturing our own products in Harrogate for two years, so as a small SME this was a massive challenge, and we needed some external assistance.

“This is where the Manufacturing Growth Programme came into play and we found the adviser very easy to work with, very understanding of the challenges of our business and very keen to put us in touch with experts and funding that made a real difference.”

Having a plan to reach net zero has also helped safeguard the jobs of Kirsty’s 68 staff, including 18 new recruits brought on to help support its expansion.

The Manufacturing Growth Programme is currently the UK’s largest and leading business support programme for SME manufacturers. The initiative, which is designed and delivered by Oxford Innovation Advice and funded by the European Regional Development Fund, has secured nearly £15m in grants for 4,300 companies over the last three years.