Marlish Water are one of our suppliers for our catering department in the QE Hospital. They provide us with still and sparkling water, as well as a range of flavoured water drinks.
QE Facilities are passionate about supporting the local economy and try to use as many local businesses as we can, but it is also important for us that our suppliers not only supply us with great tasting products but are conscious about sustainability and the environment.
Our aim is to use suppliers that are not only local but whose business and operational activities reflect our own core company values and Marlish are a great example. Sustainability is at the heart of their business, from the water itself which is naturally filtered, to the production materials, the energy supplied and where the product is packed; every part has been considered carefully to reduce its impact on the environment. Marlish only supply their drinks in either glass bottles or aluminium cans and as such have completely stepped away from using plastic. Both the cans and glass are produced within the UK with the cans coming from Carlisle and the glass produced within Liverpool. The decision to only use suppliers in the North of England was taken to minimize the transportation distance and significantly reduced the carbon footprint of the company. All of Marlish products are produced and packaged at the source of the water to further reduce road miles and emissions. The energy for the factory lighting, hot water and processors is produced from a Solar Panel on the property. Running solely on renewable energy is a passion project for the company and something they are currently working towards and investing in heavily.
Marlish is also keen to support habitat conservation and nurture the local wildlife on their land and to date the company has planted over 5000 trees to create habitats required to sustain animals such as deer, Pheasants, Partridge and Hare. To celebrate world Earth Day on the 22nd of April 2022 Marlish Water kindly invited a few members of the QE Facilities team to visit their farm in Morpeth and to continue this wildlife project by planting a tree and spreading some wildflowers on behalf of the Gateshead Trust. The team although perhaps not fully prepared with the right footwear took on the challenge and planted a lovely silver birch sapling and proudly adorned it with a QE Hospital label so we can track its progress over the years.
As well as planting a tree the team were also shown around the factory and had the fascinating process of how the drinks are created explained to them. We also learnt about the rich history of Marlish Farm and the hardships and challenges the family had faced over the years and how it led them to diversify into producing water Both the owners Joe and Elizabeth have such a passion for their business and it’s clear that the business’ impact upon the planet is deeply considered at every stage. We are proud to be supporting such an incredible small business that represents everything we wish to emulate as a business.