Waveney Mushrooms - Client Case Study
Installation of a new refrigeration condensing unit to a mushroom spawning shed.
Client:
Waveney Mushrooms
Location:
Swainsthorpe, Norfolk
Project type:
Installation of a new refrigeration condensing unit to a mushroom spawning shed.
Background:
Waveney Mushrooms is a co-operative of small and medium sized mushroom growers based close to the Norfolk – Suffolk border. The group formed in 1990 and is now expanding under second and third generation family management. They employ nearly 200 staff who are involved in picking, packing and delivering an average 80 tons of fresh picked mushrooms every week, 364 days of the year.
Requirements:
Waveney Mushrooms is BRC accredited with the most recent audit demonstrating a grade AA approval with each farm holding Farm Assured Certification. Waveney Mushrooms’ Pack House is registered and an approved user of the ‘Red Tractor’ brand. They supply the major national retailers, Aldi, Morrisons and Spar; local retailers, larger wholesalers as well as catering suppliers in the Eastern region.
Mushrooms require a specific temperature for successful cultivation; thus, environment management over their 12-week lifecycle is key
Challenges
Spawning is the first stage of mushroom growth. The temperature in the growing sheds must be of specific warmth to stimulate growth, but once the spawn begins to grow, they rapidly generate a lot of heat themselves within a short time period. Consequently, the environment then needs to be cooled to prevent crop failure due to over-heating, but not too much! As the spawns grow, they can be flushed (picked) as smaller button mushrooms or left to grow for larger mushroom production.
Pitkin & Ruddock, a Daikin Premium Partner, has installed a new refrigeration condensing unit to one of their spawning sheds to assist with this precise temperature management.
Outcome:
- The Daikin ZEAS refrigeration condensing units offers a reliable and energy efficient solution for medium and low temperature refrigeration applications with an ambient temperature range of 20C to +43C.
- The units are energy efficient, designed with Daikin signature VRV and inverter technology, aimed to reduce energy consumption by 10 to 35% when compared to traditional refrigeration systems.
- ZEAS units operate so quietly, that your neighbours won't even notice they are there.