Guests travelling on the Caledonian Sleeper will be greeted with a sweet Mackies treat after a partnership was agreed upon between the two brands.
Starting this August, Mackies of Scotland, which is based in Aberdeenshire, will provide 35g bars of chocolate as a complimentary welcome gift for the Caledonian Sleeper in-room treat for guests travelling in Caledonian Double Rooms and Club Rooms.
Mackies recently won the major new listing as one of Scotland's top five food brands with their chocolate and crisps range also set to be included in the on-board room service and Club Car menus which feature the very best of Scottish produce to over 314,000 guests every year.
The partnership will increase market awareness for Mackie's well-loved five flavour 35g and 120g chocolate bar range.
The organisations both have an ongoing and dedicated focus on sustainability with the Caledonian Sleeper providing approximately 90% fewer emissions when compared to an equivalent domestic flight bringing one of the most environmentally friendly journey options for those travelling between London and Scotland.
Caledonian Sleeper is also making a move to improve sustainability onboard its services with a commitment to ensuring that no waste from their trains will go to landfill, and will be either recycled or recovered once trains are cleaned following use.
Mackies are also pioneers when it comes to renewable energy, creating over double the energy that they use thanks to its wind turbines, solar farm and biomass. 2022 will also see the company's £4.5 million low carbon refrigeration project complete, which will dramatically cut its CO2 emissions by a massive 80%.
Mac Mackie, Managing Director at Mackie's of Scotland, said:
“The Caledonian Sleeper connects some of the UK's best destinations and we're delighted to be providing a taste of Scotland for passengers to enjoy along the way.
“As a family business, we're used to investing in the future, to try and protect the environment for generations to come. This has been one of the key drivers for the partnership – as well as the desire to expand our product's accessibility.
“We're looking forward to seeing our single serve bars ‘on tour' across the UK, bringing a little lift in every bite.”
Kathryn Darbandi, Serco's Managing Director for Caledonian Sleeper, said:
“We're proud to partner with Mackie's, an iconic Scottish brand that shares our passion for sustainability, and we're confident today marks the beginning of a long and popular partnership.
“We understand that our exciting food and drink menu, packed with the very best produce that Scotland has to offer, is a staple of the Caledonian Sleeper service. Guests are taken on a culinary tour of Scotland as we transport them to their destination in style, and we're delighted to count Mackie's as one of our valued partners.”
Caledonian Sleeper provides an overnight rail service which brings passengers the flavour of Scotland in comfort as they travel both north and south between London and some of Scotland's largest cities through to outstanding rural destinations.
Mackies of Scotland converted a tractor shed into a chocolate factory back in 2014 and started making a delicious range of milk and dark chocolate bars inspired by its ice cream range. Since then, the company's sales have increased every year with its bars now available to buy in major supermarkets across Scotland.
For further information about Caledonian Sleeper, please visit: http://www.sleeper.scot
