A CHEESEMAKER’S quest to turn his business totally carbon neutral has been made possible by Nissan.
Deliveries of Winterdale cheese to customers including Fortnum & Mason, The Goring and Biddenden Vineyard, are now being made using a 100 per cent electric Nissan LEAF, finally making the cheese fully sustainable.
The Nissan LEAF used by Winterdale Cheesemakers not only produces zero tailpipe emissions, the electricity used to charge its batteries comes from photo-voltaic (PV) solar panels installed at the dairy farm at Wrotham, near Sevenoaks, in Kent.
And the LEAF wears a visual reminder of Winterdale’s commitment to the sustainable production of its two award-winning unpasteurised cheddars – it has been wrapped in a countryside scene, complete with images of cows and a wind turbine.
The man behind Winterdale, farmer Robin Betts, said: ‘We have been making sustainable cheeses for six years, but a totally carbon-neutral product has not been possible until now.
‘The Nissan LEAF is the perfect solution. Using a 100 per cent electric car powered by sustainable electricity is the final link in the chain to producing carbon-neutral cheese.’
The perfect solution
The LEAF will be used to deliver the cheesemaker’s Winterdale Shaw and Winterdale Oak Smoked to clients including Fortnum & Mason and leading British winery, Biddenden Vineyard.
Deliveries will also be made to The Goring, the hotel in London’s Belgravia where, in April 2011, the Duchess of Cambridge – then Kate Middleton – spent the night before her wedding to Prince William.
Olivier Paturet, General Manager of Zero Emissions Strategy for Nisan Europe, said: ‘We are delighted that Robin and the team at Winterdale have chosen Nissan LEAF to complete their mission to produce a totally sustainable cheese.
‘We are certain that they will discover that not only is LEAF the perfect solution for sustainable mobility but that it is also great fun to drive.’