Originally launched in Calderdale, West Yorkshire with just one fuel tanker, a land rover and only three members of staff, the every-growing and innovative company has seen a great deal of change over the past decade. The Craggs Energy Group now serves thousands of customers, operates a fleet of over forty vehicles, employs over a hundred members of staff, runs numerous companies from multiple locations and supplies its services across the whole of the UK.
Looking back over a decade of strong growth
Chris Bingham, chairman at the Craggs Energy Group said: “It’s remarkable we are celebrating ten years of Craggs Energy and the wider group. Looking back, I have to tell you it’s been quite a roller coaster at times. Starting a new business is hard and keeping it alive long enough to become sustainable well that’s even harder.
“And yet together as a wider group we’ve built and acquired various companies since 2011. All of them are stable and will to continue to grow strongly in the coming years. I am immensely proud of what we have achieved but I’m also very grateful for the years of effort that everyone in the business has contributed.
“I’d like to express my thanks to all staff, customers and partners who have chosen to be part of our journey. It has been quite a ride so far and I see no reason to expect anything different moving forward.”
Future focus offers support for net zero
Richard Wallace, managing director at the Craggs Energy Group comments on the future: “As we look towards the next decade for our group of businesses, we will continue to provide a first-class service, with a strong, customer-focussed team and our collaborative approach will allow us to offer new initiatives to our commercial and residential oil customers.
“As the energy landscape is continuously changing, a large focus moving forward will be to support our customers on their journey to net zero. This will feature as an important part of our future vision, and we are proud to be able to support homes and businesses with a range of carbon reduction strategies.
“We have worked hard over the last twelve months to ensure we have the operational capacity, infrastructure and distributor rights to supply Green D+ HVO across the north-west of England, and beyond. We also introduced a carbon offsetting option for all fuel purchases which has been well received.
As Dave Weston, estate and project manager at Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate confirms: “We’ve been working with Craggs for a couple of years and have recently made the switch to GreenD+HVO. This alternative diesel fuel reduces our carbon output by nearly 3,000 metric tonnes per year. Danny Almond, our account manager has been extremely helpful and informative when discussing our options for ‘greener’ ways to heat our buildings and maintain our landscapes.
“We are delighted to be one of the first to sign up to Craggs Energy’s HVO fuel and we are always looking for ways to meet the Government’s target of reaching Net Zero carbon emissions.”
Richard comments: “Most recently, we have facilitated the first in-land HVO Hub in the UK, and I’m pleased to see that so many of our customers have embraced this alternative fuel which reduces carbon emissions by up to 90%.
“I’ve been with Craggs since 2017 and it has been a pleasure to see how the group has adapted and grown since and I’m looking forward to the exciting times ahead.”
You can follow the Craggs journey on social media @craggsenergy #craggs10years and read more about both the history and future in a special feature in the December issue of Fuel Oil News.