In 1980, John Bowler began his journey of creating the ‘John Bowler Group’ with his first venture, a successful franchise-style free range egg production system named aptly ‘John Bowler’s Eggs’. With bounds of enthusiasm, common sense and close attention to detail, it didn’t take long for the business to become exceptional within the egg industry.

Throughout the years, ‘Bowler Eggs’ became a very well-known and respected name in the sector. That continues through to the present where, now trading as ‘Bowler Eggs’, the company sells within the region of 2.5 million free-range eggs a day.

In 2010, the profitability of free range egg production for John Bowler was impacted seriously by the dramatic increase in fuel and electricity prices. It became clear, that if they were going to continue to be successful, something needed to change and offset the costs of running the business – that’s where renewable energy came in.

To beat the impact of the continually rising energy prices, the decision was made to install renewable energy technologies on the John Bowler farms, which opened them up to the idea of a new business venture – soon after, Bowler Energy was born, and there was no looking back.

Bowler Energy

In the years that Bowler Energy has been operating, as a business it has grown considerably, having installed a total of 25 MW of solar panels to date, as well as over 1.5 MW of wind turbines – they are still going from strength to strength.

Making renewable energy as hassle free and efficient as possible was the main goal for Bowler Energy, and they are proud to say that this has been achieved time and time again for their clients, whom all speak very highly of their experiences with the company. 

In 2015, after working extremely hard for many years, John Bowler made the difficult decision to retire, and as a result – after being part of the ‘John Bowler Group’ for six years, Bowler Energy was sold to a company with whom they had a longstanding business relationship, Noble Foods.

Noble Foods

Noble Foods and ‘John Bowlers Eggs’ have had a long-term trading relationship, with the Noble Foods heritage in the egg industry dating back as far as the 1920s.

As well as being one of the largest and most renowned companies in the UK egg industry, Noble Foods have a diverse portfolio of brands, including the popular GU Desserts, and Didier’s Patisserie – and now Bowler Energy has been added to the mix.

This development will further develop Noble Foods’ commitment to using renewable energy across every aspect of their business. Like ‘John Bowlers Eggs’, Noble Foods have always felt a responsibility to help to protect the environment and therefore consistently look to develop more energy efficient ways of working. They are also ISO 14001 certified, further illustrating their commitment to being environmentally friendly and reducing waste.

Aside from beginning to implement solar panels throughout the Noble Foods offices, they have a range of green initiatives at various stages of development and implementation. A target that Noble Foods are aiming to achieve is to reduce the volume of waste sent to landfill and to introduce an anaerobic digestion plant adjacent to one of its large egg laying sites.

To further their green initiative plans, Noble Foods have already installed a wind turbine at a production complex in Scotland. This has been designed to produce 1.5 MW of electricity that is estimated to be 75% of the power required for this site. As well as this wind turbine, Noble Foods installed solar panels on the roof of its new packing station in Oxfordshire in 2014 and a large number of its egg producers have also installed solar panels on their farms.

What does the future bring?

Now officially known as ‘Noble Green Energy,’ they will continue to trade as ‘Bowler Energy’. And while this deal means a change in owners, Antony Lee (Managing Director of Bowler Energy) confirmed it would not mean changes for new or existing clients.

“The main message we want to get across is that it is business as usual at Bowler Energy. Every one of our clients can expect the same team, solar PV installers, warranties and standard of workmanship as before – nothing has changed except the name of the owners.”

He also said that “To become part of the Noble Group of Companies is an excellent step forward in the development and growth of Bowler Energy, and will enable Noble Foods to build upon their environmental credentials utilising Bowler Energy’s expertise.”

2015 has been a year full of change for both businesses, but they are each looking forward to what the exciting future will bring.

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