A manufacturing, retail and franchising company, Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses, has been rewarded for its fiscal management and strategies for protecting the environment. The business won the Environment and Energy Management Award at NAB Agribusiness Awards for Excellence for its ground breaking food manufacturing plant in Melbourne and its demonstrated commitment to running a sustainable operation.

Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses co-director, Steven Plarre, said the award confirmed that his company’s commitment to the environment made sense. “Who would have thought that an energy intensive business like a bakery could find a way to go green — and be successful at it?” he said.

“Well we have, and we have brought our staff and our supply chain along with us on a journey to a smaller carbon footprint — a journey that’s only just begun. Given the financial and environmental benefits, our decision to bake our products within a sustainability framework was a no brainer. Our continuing goal is to future-proof our business, and we are well on our way to that.

“By harnessing the waste heat from our refrigeration systems, redistributing heat recovered from freshly baked products, employing hybrid vehicle technologies and offsetting the remaining emissions via tree planting, we have reduced our carbon footprint by over 5,000 tonnes of CO² annually” Plarre said.

Savings in electricity alone paid for the investment in the first year, Plarre added.

In the bakehouse chain of 46 outlets in Victoria, 44 are franchised and there are four more franchises set to open within the next six months, Plarre told Franchising. The 108 year old family firm sees the south east of Victoria as a growth corridor and plans to develop its homebase before opening interstate.