Corby firm handed prestigious Royal award for fourth time

Corby fresh fruit company Blue Skies has been awarded its fourth Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Sustainable Development category.

The Queen's Awards for Enterprise was instituted by Royal Warrant in 1965 and is the highest official UK awards for British businesses. Businesses are awarded in three categories, International Trade, Innovation and Sustainable Development.

Blue Skies, which has a factory at Saxon Way East, has been given a Queen’s Award in recognition of the company’s pioneering sustainability plan, called the ‘Blueprint’.

This is a set of commitments for People, Planet and Profit, designed to ensure the business can meet the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

The firm, founded in 1997 by Anthony Pile, has factories at the heart of where its fruit is grown - in Ghana, Egypt, South Africa and Brazil. Its UK sites are in Northamptonshire, with packing operations in Senegal and the Ivory Coast.

It employs more than 4,000 people in peak season, supplying 220 fresh fruit products including mango, pineapple, papaya and kiwi to customers across Europe, the middle east and Africa.

Blue Skies supplies major supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, Aldi and Carrefour.

The firm is built on a 'waste nothing' model - meaning after its fruit is cut in Africa the leftover edible products are turned into juices, fresh fruit ice lollies and dairy-free ice creams. Peel and skin is used to produce rich compost that is then used by local farmers.

Chairman and Founder, Anthony Pile said “The principles of sustainable development are firmly embedded within our business, however we know there are growing issues of interest among our stakeholders, such as plastics, waste, and carbon emissions. Our Blueprint enables us to escalate focus on the most important areas and accelerate ideas and projects that will enable us to lead the way.”

CEO Hugh Pile said “Winning a fourth Queen’s Award means a huge amount to us and provides great encouragement and motivation for all our people at what is a very difficult time for the business and indeed the world. But it also comes at a very pertinent moment as, not only are we making an incredible effort to address the extraordinary challenges of the present, but we are also embarking on an ambitious new initiative called ‘Project Phoenix’, which will ensure we will be poised to meet the changing needs of our world in the future.”

He added “We’re looking at a whole raft of initiatives, such as sustainable packaging, longer-life products and new technologies that can increase efficiencies across our factories, farms and distribution and reduce our impact on the environment. Getting through the present crisis is our priority right now, but we will keep one eye very carefully on the future. That has always been our approach, and that is why we see a very exciting future for this business."