Sustainability

At Black Mountains Smokery we are surrounded by a beautiful landscape, and we see it as our job to protect it. That’s why we are taking every precaution to ensure we have a positive impact on the environment.

Product & Provenance

We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and improving our environmental performance as an integral part of our business strategy and operations. We work with producers, who we believe share our commitment to responsible and sustainable farming. Our fresh produce is sourced with enormous care from farms within the UK and with a minimum of Red Tractor Accreditation.  Over the years we have built excellent supply chain relations with the local distributors who deliver our fresh produce to guarantee finest quality produce.  We work closely with likeminded family companies, buying in accompaniments and gourmet treats to keep our luxury hampers full of integrity, interest and deliciousness.

We source our salmon from Bakka-Scotland, who were originally based in the Faroe Islands and are highly credited for working above industry standards. They strive to raise the standard of salmon farming, producing delicious lean active stocks. Bakkafrost is recognised as the best-performing aquaculture company for not using antibiotics since 2004, as well as providing transparency in feed composition. Follow this link to find out more.  Our sea fish is sourced from the North Atlantic in accordance with Marine Conservation guidelines.

Environment

We have been collaborating with Stump Up For Trees since 2020; an amazingly ambitious community-based charity, focused on woodland creation & enhancing biodiversity in the Brecon Beacons and Southeast Wales.  We invite our customers to offset the carbon footprint of their deliveries by purchasing a £2 Stump Up Voucher and we then match-fund every £2 donation made to offset our own carbon footprint.  Over the past 2 years, we have planted 700 + native hedgerow species at our family home with help from family, friends and neighbours.

To minimise the environmental impact of marketing and promotional material, most of our marketing is done online. Despite being mostly a mail-order business we encourage our customers to subscribe to our online monthly newsletter for our latest offers and news, instead of sending regular catalogues via post. For the small percentage of customers who are not online, we send a recyclable pricelist once a year, carefully considering its size to minimise weight and waste.

Waste, Recycling & Reuse

84% of our company waste is recycled or re-used.

Sending food and perishables via mail order means we must ensure the safe transit of chilled items. This involves using bespoke and proven packaging that provides ample insulation to maintain cool temperatures and sufficient durability to safeguard delicate items from damage during transit.  Our cardboard boxes, shred and ice packs are recyclable and any wool insulation is compostable. The inner foil liners are reusable – please let us know how you reuse yours?!  We intend to move to compostable vacuum packs as options become more available and affordable.

In house, wherever possible, we re-use boxes and bags from suppliers and we encourage locals to collect cardboard for no-dig gardening projects.

We actively minimise food waste.  Smoked fish excess and trims are made into delicious pâté. As stock nears its use by date, it is either frozen and sold discounted in our shop or donated to a local food bank.  Any food waste from production, mostly fishbones, is collected for recycling.

Our produce is smoked over  Welsh Oak chips and includes no chemicals. The oak chips are a bi-product from local carpenters, including Cadw, Welsh Heritage who protect historic buildings using natural oak.

Community

Over the years, we have trained and mentored many young people in manufacturing processes, office management and sales and marketing – students for their year in industry, local youth and gap year school leavers. Many go on to greater things and some join our BMS team long term.
In our Smokery Shop, we accept and make cash donations for our local St David’s Hospice for reusable carrier bags. We attend many Christmas fairs, seasonally, where the stand fees plus a 10% commission go directly to fabulous charities.  Our total charity donations for 2023 were more than £10,000.

Energy & Water

With sorry hearts, we replaced our iconic and much-loved but thirsty Landrover Defender with a fuel-efficient van for deliveries and events.

We actively work to minimise energy and water usage. Our staff in the production department use knee-operated sinks which only deliver water when needed and cannot be left running. Our units now have smart meters installed.  Lights and electrical equipment are switched off when not in use and heating is adjusted with energy consumption in mind.  The energy consumption and efficiency of new products and equipment are considered when purchasing. We are currently researching the installation of solar panels to reduce electricity use on-site.