Blue Skies

Blue Print Progress

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:23:29 +0100

This month we continue our series of updates on progress towards our sustainability action plan; the Blue Print. Our Blue Print was introduced in our JEE report and includes targets within a variety of categories such as energy, waste, emissions, biodiversity, community impact and fruit procurement.

Management Approach

The JEE report is now published and posters have been created for our sites. We also plan to run a workshop on the JEE at the Blue Skies conference.

Fruit Sourcing

A group supplier database is being developed and is planned to be in use by the end of the year. This will be used to help in the planning of fruit procurement.

Energy and Waste

We are in discussions with the German company EnD-I-AG about carrying out a feasibility study for a biogas plant in Ghana. If agreed this would go ahead within the next few months. Our improved factory waste system for Ghana is due for completion in September.

Economic

Progress is still being made on growing local sales in South Africa, Ghana and Brazil, and steps have been towards finding business in new markets.

Emissions

We are talking to Footprints4Food & Bangor University about what measures can be taken to reduce our footprint with a view to developing an action plan.

Water

Water monitoring sheets have been distributed to sites and data is being compiled. We will use this to draft an action plan for how to reduce consumption.

Biodiversity

A proposal is being drafted for initiating an anti-sand winning Campaign in Ghana, and plans for a tree planting programme will be drawn up later in the year.

Community Impact

Our 2012 projects are well underway and 2013 project proposals are going through the selection process.

Blue Skies named ‘Processor of the Year’.

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:32:00 +0100

Blue Skies has been named ‘Processor of the Year’ at the 2012 Re:Fresh Awards in London

The award recognises the company’s spirit and resolve to rise to challenges and lead the way in quality and innovation, and it further highlights Blue Skies as a leading producer of fresh-from-harvest, prepared fruit.

The Re:Fresh Awards are organised by the Fresh Produce Journal and the UK Fresh Produce Consortium, two organisations which collectively cover the entire spectrum of the fruit, vegetable and flower industries, from seed breeder to supermarket.

Blue Skies was up against four other companies for this award which were Empire World Trade, Fenmarc, International Produce and Worldwide Fruit.

Chairman of the FPC Nigel Jenney said “The standard of entries for Re:fresh 2012 was extremely high. Blue Skies Holdings has overcome the challenges facing airfreight to innovate and succeed, making it a worthy winner of the Re:fresh Processor of the Year Award.”

More information will follow in our May edition of ‘Pelican News’

Click here to download a press release

April Pelican News now available for download

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:16:55 +0100

You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/april2012.pdf

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.

Blue Skies win Waitrose Way supplier award

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:57:19 +0100

Blue Skies has won a Waitrose Way Award for ‘treating people fairly’.

The award recognises the Blue Skies Joint Effort Enterprise (JEE) model which promotes diversity and a culture of respect as key components for making a sustainable business. The JEE was pioneered by the Founder of the business Anthony Pile. Anthony believes that being sensitive to cultural individuality and creating an environment where people enjoy coming to work has enabled the company to add value to its products in the country of origin, and offer the consumer exceptional quality products that are delivered ‘fresh from harvest’.

Managing Director George Hutton who picked up the award said “This award demonstrates that treating people fairly within the supply chain makes commercial sense and helps us to deliver the best quality products. It also helps to create a sense of pride among our stakeholders that they are supporting an innovative and ground breaking model for sustainable development in Africa and South America.”

The Waitrose Way is an initiative that has been introduced to promote the philosophy that encompasses the way Waitrose operates. The awards are designed to recognise how suppliers are helping Waitrose to uphold this philosophy and extent its principles within the supply chain. Over 200 suppliers applied under just four different award categories which included ‘Championing British’, Treading Lightly, Living Well and Treating People Fairly. The entries were judged by an independent panel which included the politician and environmental campaigner Zac Goldsmith.

Blue Skies finalists for processor of the year

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:55:30 +0100

Blue Skies is up for the Processor and Packer of the Year Award after making it through to the 2012 final of the Re:Fresh awards.

The Re:Fresh awards are considered the ‘oscars’ of the fresh produce industry in the UK. They are organised by the Fresh Produce Journal (FPJ) and Fresh Produce Consortium (FPC), two organisations which collectively cover the entire spectrum of the fruit, vegetable and flower industries, from seed breeder to supermarket.

The winners will be announced on the 17th of May and the awards will be presented by the celebrity chef James Martin.

For more information: http://www.refresh.uk.com/awards

Blue Skies brings schools together

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:46:00 +0100

Two UK primary schools recently held a Foundation Day to further their ties with a school in Ghana that was recently renovated by the fresh-cut fruit company Blue Skies in partnership with Waitrose and Albert Heijn.

Harlestone and Brington Primary Schools in Northamptonshire are located near to the head office of Blue Skies. Blue Skies have partnered a number of local schools with a view to helping them forge links with some of the schools that the company has supported in Ghana through the Blue Skies Foundation.

During the day over 100 pupils aged between 4 and 11 took part in a variety of activities to learn about life in Ghana. The activities included African drumming and dancing, cooking Ghanaian cuisine and dressing in traditional African costume. Pupils also made their own African masks and learnt about which foods come from Ghana, including the fresh-cut tropical fruits produced by Blue Skies for Waitrose.

In addition to participating in the activities, pupils collected a number of items including pens, rulers and calculators. These will be donated to Akraman Primary School in Ghana which the schools have partnered to strengthen their international ties. Akraman School was renovated in 2010 by the Blue Skies Foundation. The school had been built in 1998 but had been left unfinished with no windows or doors and without proper flooring. As a result, goats and sheep would enter the classrooms, often during lessons, and leave behind a mess. In addition the unsecured classrooms would attract drug-users during the night. The Foundation responded to the school’s plea to make the school fit for purpose and create a safe and attractive environment suitable for the pupils to learn in.

Jan Abrams, Executive Head Teacher of the Althorp Partnership of Primary Schools which includes Harlestone and Brington, said “The day has formed an excellent foundation for our partnership with Akraman School. Feedback from the children and staff has been amazing; everyone had a really good day and the students learnt a lot about how people live in a different part of the world”.

Susan Brightwell who coordinates the schools partnership for Blue Skies in the UK said “We are really excited about linking local schools in the UK with some of the schools we have supported in Africa. We believe in using our global connections to help enrich the education of children where ever we work to help in the development of our next generation of leaders”

Harlestone and Brington hope to make Foundation Day an annual event and are planning to introduce a scrapbook exchange scheme later in the year to allow pupils at the schools to swap some of their work with the children at Akraman School in Ghana.

Above: Students take part in African drumming lessons during Foundation Day.

Latest Foundation Focus now available for download

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:19:57 +0100

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The latest edition of the Blue Skies Foundation Newsletter ‘Foundation Focus’ is now available for download from our website.

Click here to download the newsletter as a PDF

February Pelican News now available for download

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 17:05:00 +0000

You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/february2012.pdf

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.

Blue Skies Launch New Labels to Revitalise the Ghanaian in You!

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:00:06 +0000

Blue Skies Ghana Ltd has launched exciting new labels for its freshly squeezed juice products in Ghana.

The new labels have been introduced to enable Blue Skies to distinguish itself as a superior product to the numerous imported juice and soft drink brands that have flooded the Ghanaian market.

The labels are designed to illustrate in a fun and vibrant way how the juice comes fresh from the field and is simply crushed and squeezed into a bottle, with no added sugar or preservatives. The labels also reflect how the company aims to support the community and look after the environment, and to convey the message of how its products are proud to be made in Ghana.

In 2011 the new design won an award for brand identity from the International Food and Beverage Awards (FAB) in London.

Sales and Marketing Manager, Juliana Agyemang, said:

“We believe our new brand design now gives us a world-class label which a world-class product like Blue Skies juice deserves; and it conveys the message that a young Ghanaian company like Blue Skies can take on the big imported brands and win!”

Blue Skies freshly squeezed juice is available in three refreshing flavours. Pineapple, Pineapple and Ginger and Tropical. These products are currently available in 500ml bottles. The company intends to launch a smaller 250ml sized portion during the next few months.

Click here to download a press release

January Pelican News now available for download

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:59:32 +0000

You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/january2012.pdf

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff, for our staff, about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.

Blue Skies launches the JEE report: 'A Blue Print for a Sustainable Business'.

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:13:22 +0000

Blue Skies has launched a report on the Joint Effort Enterprise (JEE) which outlines what the JEE is, how it works and introduces a series of objectives called the ‘Blue Print’ which are intended to help ensure its sustainability. The report has been produced as a result of a four month study on the JEE and its impact in Ghana.

The report highlights a number of our achievements to date and introduces targets within a variety of categories such as energy, waste, emissions, biodiversity, community impact and fruit procurement. Updates on progress towards these targets will be featured in future editions of Pelican News.

You can download a copy of the report from our website at http://www.blueskies.com/jee.pdf

Work starts on 2012 Foundation projects

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:19:00 +0000

Work on the 2012 projects in Ghana has started after a series of sod cutting ceremonies took place in January. The programmes which were well attended by Blue Skies management and staff, started at Asante Ekura in the Nsawam area where a new WC is being constructed, and then proceeded to Akotuakrom to mark the beginning of a project to construct a latrine. Work on the latrine started almost immediately after the ceremony finished.

In Somanya a dubar was organised by the Mango Farmers Association and the farming community to mark the commencement of work on a new training centre. The durbar was attended by Chiefs and people of the traditional area, a delegation from the District Assembly, members of the clergy, students, and teachers of the Yilo Krobo Secondary High School.

All the projects in Ghana are due for completion by July this year. The two projects earmarked for South Africa will start in February.

Report by Alistair Djimatey, Blue Skies Foundation Manager

Above: The Chief & District Coordinating Director initiating the process at Somanya

Above: Perpetual Ofasi breaking the ground at the WC project in Nsawam

Latest Foundation Focus now available for download

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:45:01 +0000

The latest edition of the Blue Skies Foundation Newsletter ‘Foundation Focus’ is now available for download from our website.

Click here to download the newsletter as a PDF
Click here to visit the Foundation blog.

November Pelican News now available for download

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 17:02:00 +0000

You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/november2011.pdf

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff, for our staff, about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.

October Pelican News now available for download

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:10:41 +0100

You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/october2011.pdf

In this month’s Pelican News: Blue Skies is officially presented with its second Queens Award, the Foundation opens four more projects in Ghana, and its all systems go for Blue Skies juice!

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff, for our staff, about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.

Blue Skies Foundation officially opens Year 2 projects in Ghana

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:35:00 +0100

The Blue Skies Foundation Board have officially opened four more projects in Ghana. The projects were opened during the Foundation’s second Board meeting of 2011. Simon Moore, Head of Fresh Produce at Waitrose, also attended the ceremonies during his first visit to Blue Skies in Ghana. The projects included a new school building for a mango farming community in the East of Ghana, a new kitchen for a kindergarten recently rehabilitated by the Foundation, a training centre for a clinic and a new multi-use sports facility for staff and the local community of Blue Skies Ghana.

In Abortia the whole community turned out to welcome the Foundation representatives and mark the opening of their new school. There were speeches from the Very Rev. Bankas (Regent of Abortia) who led the project, Anthony Pile from Blue Skies and the Regional director of Education. Pupils from the school also put on a cultural presentation for the special guests. The new school is an impressive contrast to the tree and temporary huts where pupils previously had to learn.

Above: Mary Vizoso from Waitrose (centre) with Ruth Adjei (right) and Foundation Manager Alistair Djimatey (left) officially opening the new school at Abortia. Bottom: (left) Simon Derrick with Ruth Adjei opening the kitchen at Sekykrom Kindergarten and (right) the new training centre at Nsawam old Hospital.

New sports facility opens in Ghana

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:34:35 +0100

A new sports facility for Blue Skies Ghana and the local community has been opened by the Blue Skies Foundation. The Daniel Safo Sports Centre was opened on the 20th of October by representatives of the Foundation Board and Mr Daniel Safo who generously donated the land upon which the facility is located. The multi-purpose court is able to host a variety of games including volley ball, hand-ball, netball and basket-ball. The Blue Skies Ghana keep fit club will also use the facility for their new home.

Above: the Blue Skies volley ball team play the first match

Latest Foundation Focus now available for download

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:04:10 +0100

The latest edition of the Blue Skies Foundation Newsletter ‘Foundation Focus’ is now available for download from our website.

Click here to download the newsletter as a PDF
Click here to visit the Foundation blog.

August Pelican News now available for download

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 12:25:00 +0100

You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/august2011.pdf

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff, for our staff, about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.

July newsletter now available for download

Sat, 23 Jul 2011 11:01:00 +0100

In this month’s Pelican News George and Pep meet the Queen, Anthony receives an Honorary Doctorate and Egypt develop a new Fairtrade product. You can download the newsletter from www.blueskies.com/newsletter/july2011.pdf

Pelican News is a monthly newsletter written by our staff, for our staff, about what’s happening throughout the Blue Skies family.