Grahame Dunling and his son Matthew, who is the CEO of WorldWide Local Salads, own and operate their family business continuing their tradition of Hull-born family growers.
For the last 10 years growing inside a warehouse has been the normal way for them, also being in some of the harshest climates in the world, including the gourmet capital of the world, Dubai, where they supplied the top chefs and restaurants as well as mainstream supermarkets. Also, having grown in Hong Kong, Bahrain, USA, as well as in greenhouses in the UK, delivering quality gourmet salads using their expertise and five generations of grower's knowledge.
They have a warehouse on Sutton fields industrial estate, and from this unit, they are lined up to supply the Yorkshire area with fresh 100% pesticide-free gourmet salads that will range from ready to eat salad bags to living microgreens and herbs at affordable prices with a much longer shelf life than what is currently on the shelves in stores. The focus of the company is to grow unique varieties for taste, texture, and longevity, along with the varied range of crops that can be grown inside a warehouse.
Matthew's aim for Worldwide Local Salads is to improve the local supply chains reducing the miles our food travels to the area while also improving the environmental impact vertical farming can have due to the high energy and heating required to grow inside a warehouse.
Having just been awarded a COP26 Grant for Carbon emission reduction WorldWide Local Salads Ltd have an innovative way to reduce energy costs. This, in turn, reduces the capital and the opex needed. One of the biggest plus factors is the reduction in CO2eq emissions which falls in line with the Hull Net Zero campaign. They are striving to prove that you can grow in a sustainable way by reducing energy usage by 40% (for example, from 2,000 Kw down to 1,200 Kw), so this would also reduce the amount of actual power needed, and by doing so, it also reduces the strain on any renewable energy Kw used making this even more affordable.
To do this, they have produced their own brand of LED's, which not only allow the growth of any crop, but they emit less heat so also adding to the reduction of Kw needed for the grow room. They have also managed to reduce the capital cost of the LED's they use by 30% while also reducing their operating cost. In turn, this also reduces the co2eq emissions, and they are now aiming to build a unit that can run with a total of 50% less energy usage than normal indoor warehouse grow units.
They are in discussions with companies to install solar panels on the warehouse to fit in with the "Hull Net Zero" campaign. The energy used from the solar panels will help to reduce the costs of the warehouse as well as increase the use of renewable energy.
Keeping in line with their sustainability goals, they will also use a new and unique media to sow the seeds in, allowing for optimum root growth and aeration. This media has an organic status and is biodegradable. The punnets are also 100% recyclable, and the water is re-circulated.
For more information: 
Local Salads
www.localsalads.com