After waiting six months for materials and dry weather, the family-owned business hired contractor Dynamic Water Solutions to install Kubota RM100 filters imported from Japan.
Beacon Foods invested £250,000 on expanding its water treatment capacity in 2023 as part of a three-year expansion programme worth £6m.
The new filters replaced the originals which had been operating successfully since their installation in 2008.
The original design flow rate of the works was up to 70 cubic metres per day, but with the installation of a 500 cubic metre aerated buffer tank, a 40 cubic metre dewatering sludge tank and now the new sets of filters, Beacon Foods will be able to discharge around 100 cubic metres per day.
“The discharge quality is excellent and we get very good results in reducing chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), nitrogen and suspended solids,” said the firm’s chair Edward Gough.
“We monitor our discharge very closely and opted to replace the old filters to maintain and improve quality standards. We had originally planned to install the new filters in March but had to reschedule due to the ground conditions being so wet.
“In the meantime, we have been tankering the waste away from our site to the sewage works which has been an extra cost. With the new filters in place, there will be no need for the tankers which is good news all round.”
In addition to the water treatment plant upgrades, Beacon Foods has invested in 1,428 solar PV panels which can produce up to 500,000 kilowatts of electricity.
Established in 1993, Beacon Foods is a specialist producer of garlic, ginger and chili puree, bespoke recipes of ready to eat, individual quick frozen roasted and char grilled vegetables and fruit, relishes, chutneys, sauces and fruit.
The ingredients go into literally thousands of products, including sandwiches, ready meals, pizzas, soups, drinks and desserts, which sold via retail and foodservice.
In other news, Pilgrim’s Europe has announced plans to close its Spurway factory putting 270 jobs under threat.
