A history of environmental innovation
Established in 2006, we are the renewables arm of our parent – ABP Food Group. We were originally created to address changes in legislation banning the traditional use of used cooking oil as an ingredient in animal feed.
Used cooking oil is a precious, energy-rich material however, in landfill, it contributes to global warming. When it is disposed of in sewers, it causes blockages and can lead to the formation of fatbergs. To ensure that it is not wasted in either of these damaging ways, we set out to collect as much used cooking oil as possible and convert it into high value, renewable fuels such as biodiesel.
To reduce the carbon footprint of our used cooking oil collections, we combine our collection journeys with the delivery of fresh cooking oils and fats. We source a range of premium cooking oils and fats from sustainable sources to meet the demands of our customers and deploy a fleet of bespoke vehicles designed to minimise the carbon impact of our logistics.
Combining delivery and collections in a single vehicle is a strikingly simple approach to reduce the carbon impact of our cooking oil supply and recovery service by 50%.
This business model, coupled with a highly professional, national service, quickly propelled Olleco to become market leaders and attracted the business of many of the largest names in the food industry. Not content with that, we looked at other areas where we could help the food industry further improve its carbon footprint.
Food waste is another key environmental challenge for the food and hospitality sectors. It was often being sent to landfill where it produces methane - a greenhouse gas around 25 times more damaging than CO₂.
Processing food waste through an anaerobic digester captures the methane safely so it can be used to make renewable energy. Seeing this opportunity, we added food waste collection and processing to the services we offer our customers.