Europe’s leading supplier of innovative chilled packaging solutions, Dutch specialist COOLWAYS, will open their first manufacturing facility at Oakland International’s Redditch facility.
The agreement between COOLWAYS and Oakland International will incorporate energy efficient processing techniques, modern water treatment methods and utilise an onsite, dedicated bore hole water supply, with COOLWAYS producing, packing, and freezing ice and gel packs for immediate use by on-site D2C brand operators within the Oakland business portfolio which includes British meal kit retailer Mindful Chef, delivering an initial capacity of up to 20,000 tonnes per year.
Oakland International Co-Founder and Group CEO Dean Attwell said: “We are thrilled to welcome COOLWAYS to the UK in what will be a beneficial symbiotic business relationship which offers the additional benefits of on-site manufacture for our existing brand partners who utilise ice packs extensively for our third-party e-fulfilment packing and supply chain solution.”
Oakland International is a leading D2C/B2C/B2B specialist in contract packing, storage, picking, food distribution and brand development support covering ambient, chilled, and frozen food, and services retail, convenience, discount, wholesale and food service markets in the UK and Ireland. They are also BRCGS AA accredited and have taken the first step to becoming B Corp certified and are working towards becoming the first business within their sector to achieve net-zero.
Oakland International Sustainability Manager Vera Bruntink commented: “Oakland International’s ability to draw water from our own water source at a constant 12 degrees centigrade means we have a far lower energy requirement for on-site freeze down compared to current operations where supplied ambient gel packs are around 20 degrees centigrade.
“The other significant environmental impact by having on-site production is zero road miles. We estimate that when we reach full capacity annually, we will be taking around 800 truck movements off the roads and delivering a saving of some 160,000 road miles the equivalent of 275 tonnes of carbon, or 12,500 trees.”
COOLWAYS enjoys an extensive European client base active in the pharma, food, fish and Agri industries supplying coolants, gel packs, and chilled packaging and cold chain logistics solutions.
COOLWAYS Co-Owner and Co-Founder Mike Mol commented: “Coolways UK is excited to successfully have entered our partnership with Oakland International in Redditch. Initial talks in 2020 resulted into the construction of a state-of-the-art production facility where Coolways, supported by an army of Oakland International professionals are operating several production lines. Initial capacity safely secures Coolways its UK client base but will also benefit Oakland’s onsite partners.”
Coolways has production facilities in Holland and throughout Scandinavia.
“We have a bit of experience in setting up operation in various countries, however Oakland made it extremely easy for us to do so and create synergies. We are very grateful for this.” added Mol.
