Biogen Greenfinch

When Michael Chesshire, Technology Director of BiogenGreenfinch was looking to setup a business specialising in anaerobic digestion and biogas technology, it was the location of Ludlow, South Shropshire, which is in the Heart of England that he opted for as its base. Having grown up in the town, Michael knew that it would provide an ideal location from which to grow the business which was then known as Greenfinch Ltd.

The company uses average household food waste to create an environmentally friendly form of energy, through the process of anaerobic digestion, reducing greenhouse gases and helping to decrease the countries reliability on fossil fuels.

Connecting the business to the whole country

When looking for the perfect location for his business, Michael’s main priority was that the area should provide easy access to the rest of the country. Good road links, which would allow food waste to be transported to the business, were a vital necessity needed to ensure the success of the company:

In order for the business to work, food waste would need to reach the company from all over the UK, so good road links were vital to the success of the business. With its central location, Michael knew that Ludlow was ideal:

“Ludlow is right in the heart of England meaning that anywhere in the country is easily accessible. In particular Bristol, Manchester and Cardiff are all easy to reach by road and rail, whilst locations further afield in the UK, such as London and Edinburgh can also be accessed, thanks to the Heart of England’s great transport network. Furthermore, as the region is right in the centre of the country, the time taken to reach BiogenGreenfinch is never too long from whatever location the journey starts from.”

Building a skilled workforce

The road and rail links were not the only advantages to being based in the area. Michael found that the region also boasted a great workforce with a wealth of knowledge and a variety of skills:
“From when I first set up the business in 1993 through to the present day, I have always found that the local area has had the perfect candidate for any job I am looking to fill. There are many skilled professionals in the area who have proved to be a real asset to the business.

In addition, the region is home to several universities, producing top quality graduates, with the skills needed to work in the field of environmental technologies. It is great to know that whatever position we are looking to fill, we are likely to find the right person for the job right here in the Heart of England.” 

Collaborating with like-minded organisations

BiogenGreenfinch is not the only company in the field of environmental technologies which has been swayed by the Heart of England’s central location and skilled workforce. As the market for such technologies has grown, so too has the prevalence of such businesses in the region, with a variety of companies across the sector choosing the West Midlands as their UK base.

Michael adds:

“Being based in the region has proved to be a real asset to BiogenGreenfinch and we have noticed a growth in the amount of other companies in the area working in similar fields. For example, where we are based in South Shropshire there is a whole cluster of businesses working in anaerobic digestion and we meet and liaise with these companies on a regular basis, to discuss important industry issues. As the market of environmental technologies grows further, we expect to see more like-minded companies opting for a Heart of Midlands location and look forward to building links with such companies in the future.