Grab a splash of milk for your morning cuppa from one of these plastic-reducing, self serve milk machines from Trewithen Dairy.
Georgina Wilson-Powell
Wed 18 Mar 2020
While we're in uncertain times for the farming and dairy industry, one Cornish dairy has embraced new technology and consumers' desire to move away from single use plastic pints of milk.
Trewithen Dairy have unveiled 25 self service, pour your own (semi-skimmed) milk machines at independent stores across the south west.
Want a pint of milk? Pour your own pint of Cornish milk and use one of their glass refillable bottles, and just take it back and fill up again when you've run out. Or take your own bottle to fill up, it's all the same to them.
Each of the shops involved with this scheme use a ‘pergal’ machine to keep the milk perfectly fresh and chilled. The pergal boxes hold 13.6 litres of milk, which prevents up to 14 plastic milk bottles from being created. Inside the machine is a cardbox with a thin PET bag which holds the milk. Both the bag and the box are 100% recyclable.
Have you seen one of these self service milk machines in the south west?
Francis Clarke, Managing Director at Trewithen Dairy, said: “As part of our journey to operate as environmentally conscious as possible, we are determined to find low-carbon alternatives within our supply chain. The self-service machines are a great way of serving communities with farm fresh milk, while helping to reduce single-use plastic.
The reaction we’ve received from our retailers and customers so far has been fantastic and we look forward to rolling out our self-serve scheme into more areas across the South West and beyond.”
Trewithin Dairy source milk from all over the south west that meet their strict high quality control, to ensure each pint people pull of the white stuff at the local shops that are now home to the self-service machines, is delicious.
Co-founder of Trewithen Dairy, Bill Clarke, says “It is not one system, breed or type of feed that delivers the best milk, it is the holistic approach to the perfect blend, achieved from the rich diversity of breeds, feeds and grasses and working with farming families who care. I have been specific about the farmers who supply us, ensuring they share the values of Trewithen Dairy and instinctively want to develop a farming business fit for future generations.
Would you prefer milk in a refillable glass bottle?
It's not just the refillable bottles and self-service machines, this forward thinking dairy has invested in. Their refill bottles themselves reduce the amount of plastic used by 15%, which will reduce their plastic footprint by 18 tonnes per year.
Trewithen Dairy has been a family run dairy farm since the 90s and produces milk, cream, butter.
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