In a recent LinkedIn post Gianpaolo Renino, a Senior Vice President at Del Monte, disclosed that the company has transitioned its pineapple operations to solar power at its Thika plant.
- •
Del Monte Kenya operates a 10,000+ acre pineapple plantation in Thika, employing an estimated 6,000+ Kenyans.
- •
It produces fresh, canned, frozen, beverage, and concentrate pineapple products which are traded locally and shipped for export often to European and Middle Eastern markets.
- •
The agricultural juggernaut has already made numerous sustainability strides within this Thika operation, notably with the recent construction of its bio-fertilizer plant, transforming pineapple by-products into usable, organic fertilizer.
The solar transition is reportedly now being used to provide the energy needs for several aspects of its pineapple operations including canning, frozen, beverage, and concentrate processing, all of which require significant amounts of energy.
Through the addition of solar panels powering Del Monte Kenya’s pineapple operations, the expected decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprint is significant. Companies such as Del Monte (global parent company) have significant carbon footprints and despite US President Donald Trump’s assault on ESG, many are still making strides to be more eco-friendly within their operations.
According to Del Monte’s 2023 ESG Report, the food giant intends on achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 in addition to countless other initiatives including bringing about 100% recyclable packaging, reducing empty miles within its supply chain by 20%, and increasing average truckload efficiency.
This announcement comes at an opportune time in Kenya’s energy debate as just this November, President William Ruto confirmed “loadshedding” was taking place across the country. This move by Del Monte Kenya may also decrease its reliance on state-energy monopolies who have struggled for years to provide uninterrupted and reliable power, especially to energy-intensive manufacturers.
While TKWS can not confirm whether or not Del Monte was using KPLC for the energy needs for these solar transitioned operations, moves such as this by the private sector can help hit two birds with one stone: 1.) reduce carbon emissions, and 2.) decrease corporate demand on Kenya’s power grid.
