An indoor farm in Rhondda Cynon Taf has more than doubled its production capacity thanks to support via the Welsh Government funded Project HELIX.
Local media reports that Micro Acres Wales, which produces an award-winning range of microgreens, edible flowers, and mushrooms, has expanded by moving from a domestic garage to a dedicated unit located in a former mine explosives storage facility.
Chris and Donna Graves, who founded the business as a hobby in 2021 during lockdown, approached the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University for technical support with the move, which was funded by Project HELIX. The funding helped to update the companies Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety management and design the new facility to prevent microbial contamination between seeds and harvested microgreens.
Donna Graves, co-owner of Micro Acres Wales, said, “ZERO2FIVE support funded by the Welsh Government’s Project HELIX has supported us at crucial points of our business journey, from start-up to expansion. Their expertise, knowledge and understanding has been invaluable and given us confidence in our production processes. There are exciting times ahead for this family business that started with a single tray on a windowsill.”
Professor David Lloyd, Director of ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, added, “It’s wonderful to see that Project HELIX has been able to support an innovative start-up like Micro Acres Wales. From new businesses to established companies, the technical and commercial support available through Project HELIX can help Welsh food and drink manufacturers to grow and reach new markets.”
Elsewhere in Wales, Powys-based ‘Our Food 1200’ has welcomed a recent written statement on horticulture policy development in Wales, which is says paves the way for the crucial changes needed in planning policy to support the expansion of horticulture in Wales. John Morris, director of the community benefit society, said, “This new statement is very good news indeed, and the result of collaborative work with Welsh Government over many months with our partners in the Wales Horticulture Alliance Group and the Wales Horticulture Planning Working Group. It also picks up on the recommendations in the BIC Innovation report on Barriers to Small-Scale Horticulture Development in Wales, commissioned by the Welsh Government in 2023.”