Muntons Annual Review 2016

Muntons Made
NEWS IN BRIEF
Sensational
summer salad
A perfect light lunch
WE’RE
COMPLETELY
BATTY!
positive
energy
£2.6 million has been invested in our grain
intake area, creating not only a faster and
more streamlined facility, but one that lowers
our energy consumption and reduces the
number of local truck movements.
Looking for a lovely light lunch then look no further. A dash of
malt extract in the mustard vinaigrette and crispy smoked bacon
coated with malt extract, grilled to perfection, add the perfect
finishing touches to this fresh mixed salad. With onions pickled
in malt vinegar and crispy croutons baked using malt flour you
might think that salads were made with malt in mind.
From willow tree to cricket pitch: How
trees felled at Muntons have been made
into cricket bats. A new crop for the
maltster to work with. Howzat!
In October, we officially opened our new grain drying
facility with a well-attended ribbon cutting ceremony,
seeing the High Sheriff of Suffolk, WB Kendall Esq DL,
on ribbon cutting duty. This was a major investment
for us, designed to ensure that we remain sustainable
by using only the very best technology available. This
not only increases our ability to process grains more
rapidly but the installation of the 26-metre tall,
state-of-the-art, grain dryer also significantly reduces
our energy consumption, offering improvements in
efficiency of 40%.
Other improvements made at the same time include
a second weighbridge, new grain intake pit, the
construction of a 1,300-tonne grain storage silo
and the refurbishment of our other existing silos.
These new facilities mean that we are now able to
handle 140 tonnes of grain per hour, greatly improving
the turnaround of vehicles delivering grain. Additionally,
we have created a new one-way traffic system on our
site to improve safety by further separating vehicle
and pedestrian movements.
Every thirteen years or so, we arrange to have an expert team ‘fell’
our latest crop of purpose-grown willow trees. This year, nine trees
were felled which will be turned into a fine crop of cricket bats ready
for next year’s sporting season. As soon as they were cropped, eleven
more trees were planted to ensure that the cropping tradition
continues. Growing these trees does not just provide wood for
cricket bats though, the young saplings are good for the
environment too converting carbon dioxide into fresh oxygen.
Not all willow trees can be used to make cricket bats though.
Weeping willow trees for example cannot be used. The ideal
willows are Salix Alba Caerulea (Cricket Bat Willow), which are
ready for cutting when the trunk has a circumference of about
1.5 metres (60 inches) when measured 1.5 metres from the ground.
The Muntons site at Stowmarket has a managed flood plain running
alongside the river, which provides exceptional conditions for cricket
bat willows. The roots of the trees benefit from the moist soil and the
trees thrive. This year we plan to have a few commemorative bats
made for posterity – and the occasional Muntons cricket match.
6 7
Discover more at: www.muntons.com
Muntons PLC Annual Review 2016