On 4 th January, we were featured in a BBC news article discussing how we are dealing with
the current cost of living and energy crisis. It is a difficult time for many and we wanted to
inform people of what we are doing to manage our business during this time. As we generate
our own power at R&L Holt, we realised that we could make more money by selling our
energy as we do not depend on gas to maintain our plant growth. The surge in energy prices
hasn’t been all bad for us here as this means that we can afford to upgrade our LED lights
that provide our plants with heat and warmth during the colder months. This shows the
advantages of using solar powered tools to grow our crops, not to mention the positive
implications this has on the environment! You can read the full article here.
We said we’ve been busy, and we certainly have been! This month we have also been
featured on the Jeremy Vine show with Roly discussing our multiple sites and our delay in
winter plant production. Due to the current energy crisis, we have only been producing 50%
of the produce that we usually do due to having to delay growth by two months to keep up
with the current times.
The 300% increase in the energy market has resulted in our punnets increasing in price by
between 30-40p. Unfortunately, this means we are making a loss on each punnet due to this
increase that aligns with the cost of living. But the good news is that it is viable for us to keep
going due to the renewable energy that we produce! This has been a huge help in maintaining
our business as we can sell this energy back to the National Grid.
We understand the challenges faced by consumers and supermarkets alike. This is a very
uncertain and difficult time for many and we would like to thank you, our customers and
supporters, for your loyalty to our business and sticking by us during these times. We are
very grateful to have been featured on the BBC website and to have been interviewed by
Jeremy Vine. This is a great opportunity for others to understand what goes on behind the
scenes of our business and we’re looking forward to what else 2023 has instore for R&L
Holt!
