We are delighted to announce that we have welcomed a new sales person to the team, with the arrival of Jaki Holland.

Jaki, who completed a successful work experience placement with us, has joined The Lively Crew's Sales Team, with an emphasis on promoting the Enviro-Pod product range, focussing on Fresh Pod.

Initially based in our Norwich office on Yarmouth Road, Jaki is hoping to grow the company by taking Fresh Pod into new markets, particularly her native London moving forward.

"I am really excited to be joining The Lively Crew and working on Enviro-Pod and Fresh Pod. The whole range really appealed to me and the savings the products can make to both people's wallets and in lowering their carbon footprint make them a natural choice for environmentally conscious individuals in this difficult economic period. I am already receiving some great feeback about the products and I can't wait to develop the entire range further" said Jaki.

For more information on either The Livley Crew or Enviro-Pod, please contact a member of the team on 01603 702374 or email info@thelivelycrew.co.uk.

UK-based thermal insulation cover manufacturers Enviro-Pod have launched a unique internal roll cage lining which is currently being used to transport chilled goods throughout Spain for a major supermarket chain.

The new innovation is designed to fit within a roll-cage, allowing produce to be sealed at a chilled temperature for long periods, without the need for electricity or any other assistance. Having the material secured inside the cage gives it protection by reducing wear and tear and reducing the chance of produce becoming unsecured in transit.

Independent tests have proven that Chill Pod’s use of NASA’s Flectalon technology can result in a considerable reduction on fuel costs and the carbon footprint of transport companies and storage units, by maintaining temperature, without the need for an additional fuel source. By removing refrigeration from delivery vehicles, companies are also able to increase their distribution capacity, reducing the number of journeys required.

The unique insulating properties of the covers are constructed from a flat polymer sheet, coated with a thin layer of aluminium which combines conventional trapped air thermal insulation with multiple mirror finish surfaces to maintain the correct temperature of the product contained within. When tested against a competitor the unique Chill Pod design saw an increase of only 3.4 degrees over a 12 hour period, compared to 7 degrees by a leading competitor.

Chill Pod Director Valerie Bullard added “With transportation costs spiralling and legislation on corporate carbon reduction tightening, it is important that we look at innovative solutions. The flexibility and performance of the material means that the Chill Pod range of covers provides the solution the logistics industry has been waiting for. Independent tests prove that Chill Pod can lower costs and reduce the carbon footprint of any business using temperature controlled transport, at a time when an estimated 15% of energy usage in industrialised countries is devoted to refrigeration.”

Manufactured in the UK, Chill Pods can be tailor made to specific client specifications. Chill Pods are lightweight, hard wearing and water resistant and boast excellent impact and abrasion resilience.

For more information please call 01603 702374 or email info@enviro-pod.co.uk

With the fruit, vegetable and flower industry’s focus on waste and ultimately reducing costs, Fresh Pod technology has been rigorously tested and proven to increase the storage time of English Savoy Cabbage for between 6-8 weeks without the need to introduce chemicals or expensive ozone producing systems.

Lankfer Ltd, based near Wisbech and a supplier of cabbages, cauliflowers and other fresh produce to wholesalers and the retail market, has installed a Fresh Pod EC3 filter machine within its cold store which has succeeded in reducing the presence of 99% of the ethylene, given off naturally by the cabbages and responsible for accelerating the ripening process. As well as extending the freshness of the produce by up to eight weeks, the Fresh Pod system also kills invisible airborne spores and moulds which are also major contributors to premature ripening and ultimately increased wastage.

The Fresh Pod system has extended the English produce season for Lankfer giving them the ability to extend their supplies of English grown produce into the retail market. Fresh Pod’s completely natural solution gives customers fresh local produce and reduces waste at source cutting Lankfers environmental impact – reducing imports and ultimately cutting costs.

Lee Parker, Commercial Director at Lankfer. “We have known for awhile that ethylene is a major contributor to the shortening of storage periods with our Savoy Cabbages. We have tried several methods to slow the process with little success to date. Fresh Pod technology has the credentials to sort the problem. We have tested it in one of our store rooms with superb results. We have been able to supply our customers with an English cabbage for an extended period of eight weeks, giving us more control over the supply chain, part of which is to be able to remove the need to rely on a foreign source. Our customer has a great sales message – UK grown, their customers like the localness and we benefit financially and environmentally. There is no doubt the technology works and we have great comfort in the fact it is natural, sensibly priced and as a bonus has a positive effect on our carbon footprint”

Valerie Bullard, Director, Fresh Pod “We have never doubted the technology and the positive effect Fresh Pod has on reducing waste and cutting costs. The fruit, vegetable and flower industry has many challenges in a tough economic environment coupled with the pressure to contribute to a greener planet. It gives us great pleasure when customers like Lee at Lankfer's is prepared to embrace our innovative technology and we can deliver behind it”.

Fresh Pod technology has been in use across the globe for many years. Developed in the San Joaquin Valley in California the technology has been a driving force behind protecting the local fresh produce industry from imported produce by extending storage periods and lessening the need to source fruit and vegetables outside of the country during the slow season.

Proven to outperform other systems available and with the accreditation of the OMRI, Fresh Pod is independently proven to reduce wastage and costs and to contribute positively to an organisations environmental impact.

Ethylene Control, power pellets were introduced into the UK several years ago by Fresh Pod as a consumer product selling thousands to householders who have extended the life of their fresh produce by up to four times.  With the UK commercial market having to work harder in tough economic conditions Fresh Pod is an environmentally friendly way of increasing shelf life naturally and is guaranteed to reduce waste and to significantly cut costs.

 When most people think of social media, they think of Facebook and Twitter. The impression is that these are places where teenagers and celebrities share photo's from nights on the town and whittle away hours on end, chatting with friends and strangers, sharing intimate details about their lives, which previosuly would have stayed behind closed doors.

Whilst undoubtedly there is a grain of truth in the myth, social media is much more than the common perception and offers businesses an unrivalled opportunity to increase their profile, build trust in their brand, position themselves as experts in their field, generate leads and interact with existing and potential customers alike in a cost-effective and efficient way.

Let us begin with the obvious; increased profile. Facebook alone has over 700 million individual profiles at the last count and the number is growing. A similar number are on Twitter and when you factor in the numbers on sites such as Google+, LinkedIn and the traffic frequenting YouTube everyday, you begin to realise the potential audience your business profile can reach. It is this audience size, which necessitates the need, not only to have a profile, but to manage it professionally. As someone once told us, you wouldn't let an intern put together a TV commercial for you, so don't let one publish messages on your behalf which have a potential audience of billions.

Other social media platforms such as the one created by EEDA, are used by businesses in the tendering process. Recently David Coulson from EEDA updated members of the Broadland and Breckland business forums, on how to register your business online for the chance to win some of the remaining London 2012 Olympic contracts. In his presentation David also informed our members that once the Olympics are run, Local Authorities, will be using the site in their own tendering processes.

A social media presence can also boost your profile in other, less obvious ways, particularly in terms of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). When an individual searches for terms on Google or Yahoo, the search engines not only crawl websites, but social media sites. This is in part because the main search engines are owned by, or work in close partnership with, social media sites (for example Google own both Google+ and YouTube, while they are great friends with LinkedIn) and will thus naturally look to those sites first. Search engines also work by ascertaining the relevance of a term in relation to a search, to provide it's users with the most appropriate results. it does this by not only locating the terms by searched for but the context they are being used in. As such, social media sites, which by their definition are social, allow you to engage with the terms, in a way that the search engines love. If you are having a conversation about a great place to buy music, search engines will pick up on the context and point searches for "music stores" to the content. If you link these conversations back to your brand and your website, you can be onto a winner. Social media sites, also allow you another platform on which to post your news, events, offers and vacancies, all of which can link back to your main site, driving traffic back to your site.

It is this involvement in conversations, that also allow you the chance to increase the trust in your brand and position your brand as an expert in your industry. By providing authoritative answers to questions, not only are you interacting directly with potential customers as they look to validate purchasing decisions, you are boosting your SEO, meaning people with similar queries in the future, are likely to be pointed to your answers. If you aren't there to answer the questions, a competitor will be and their brand, not yours will be front and centre as people look to make a purchase. Done correctly, a social media campaign can thus position your brand as a market expert, increase your SEO and influence purchasing, generating leads, all in one fell swoop.

Despite it's growing importance, one of the biggest challenges facing businesses is time allocation and experience in navigating the internet, whilst still doing the day job. With more and more businesses are using social media and other websites to promote their business, you cannot afford to be left behind and it is not as expensive, time consuming or as painful as it might appear. Spending a short amount of time getting up to speed with it, will ensure your business reaps the benefits long term.

If you are still unsure, do not have the time or would like a second opinion on the viability of your website which will include the loading of an EEDA web page for your business, if required, then give our Marketing Manager and Social Media guru, Andy at The Lively Crew a call on 01603 702374, or email andrew@thelivelycrew.co.uk and he will be able to advise you on, how your business can quickly become more visible on the internet, how to set-up quick business profiles, and a hassle-free way to use the internet and social media as an ongoing marketing tool for your business.

 We are delighted to announce the UK launch of a fantastic new product from our sister company Enviro-Pod, which can prevent and cure problems and pain associated with breast feeding; Breast Aid.

Breast-Aid pads are the ultimate natural aid for all Mums who want to breast-feed their babies easily and comfortably, and make this unique time with their babies pain and stress free.

These breast warmers are designed as a natural and effective aid to help prevent or ease the common problems associated with breast-feeding, such as:

• Mastitis (inflammation of the breast)
• Nipple Vasospasm
• Letdown
• Engorgement
• Expressing
• Blocked Ducts

 
The pads utilise NASA technology and uses a mother’s natural body heat, to help prevent and cure problems including mastitis, engorgement, blocked ducts and nipple vasospasm. They also provides fast and effective relief from hard, sore or lumpy breasts and can help with expressing and blocked ducts. They are also ideal for new mothers choosing not to breast feed and having to deal with milk reduction.

Prevention is better than cure, the pads are also recommended to be used immediately after birth as a protection against any potential breast pain problems.

Warming the breasts with Breast Aid is a fast and easy way to help relieve the pain and discomfort, and help the milk flow more easily. Continuation of frequent feeding, to try and "empty" the breast , will help unblock the milk ducts. Feed on the affected breast first. Changing the baby's feeding position may also help.

For more information, or to order your Breast Aids, call 08456 345 185 or email info@enviro-pod.co.uk