With a strong reputation for hygiene, the business was keen to source a gentle but effective disinfectant cleaner that was more sustainable than its previous chemical-based cleaning products, offered improved employee safety and was cost effective across all ten of its busy restaurants.

Following a three-month trial with cleaning manufacturer and distributor, Robert Scott, Pesto adopted the Centrego Renew – part of the Toucan Eco range – a powerful antibacterial cleaner made from just water, salt and electrolysis.

Mike Hirst, business support manager at Pesto, said: “We first heard about Toucan Eco from our industry peers at The Restaurant Group in 2022 and it immediately grabbed our attention as we were using a substantial amount of chemical products for our front and back of house cleaning. The ability to create such a powerful cleaner from just water, salt and electrolysis in minutes was a huge draw for us for numerous reasons.

“In the four years since the Covid-19 outbreak, the focus on cleaning and sanitisation has intensified for good reason, but we were conscious of the health impact – such as allergic reactions – on our staff members. Additionally, the more regular use of chemical solutions created a sticky build-up which caused damage to varnished surfaces such as tables and bars. We had to have the bars sanded down and revarnished and table-tops replaced at great expense.

“When we did the maths, we realised that by swapping out chemicals for the Centrego Renew, we were able to save £17,000 per year. When you couple that with the money saved from replacing damaged bars and tables and it was without question the best financial option for the business. Altogether, our return on investment is around 300%.”

The Centrego Renew requires just water and salt which, when activated via electrolysis, makes two litres of multipurpose disinfectant cleaning solution virtually on tap. The cleaning solution’s active compounds are hypochlorous acid (HOCl) which is also made by your immune system to fight infection and a very low concentration of sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), producing a gentle pH of around 7.8 to 8.5.

It is certified to antiviral and antibacterial standards EN 14476, EN 16777, EN 1276 and EN 13697 to kill up to 99.99% of germs. It is also registered as a UK biocide but is not aggressive in nature.

Mike continued: “Initially we weren’t sure if we could find a cleaning solution that would be strong enough to kill germs and gentle enough to keep staff safe and surfaces intact. However, after an initial trial using Toucan Eco, we were really impressed that we could benefit from all this and more, including huge reductions in operational expenditure. An added bonus has been a significant reduction in plastic from single-use bottles too.

“We’ve now been using the Centrego Renew for around 12 months and believe that the Toucan Eco range genuinely stands itself apart from other solutions. It could truly revolutionise the hospitality industry.”

Steve Courtney, product lead for Toucan Eco at Robert Scott, commented: “The requirement for surfaces to be clean and germ-free in hospitality settings is vital. Chemicals have long been considered the only suitable disinfectant for spaces that handle food and drinks, but that simply isn’t the case and Pesto was quick to see the benefits. The Toucan Eco cleaning solution is powerful against viruses and bacteria, but it’s also incredibly safe for staff to use on a regular basis. Additionally, the ability for Pesto to make up the solution onsite across all ten of its restaurants presented huge savings in both cost and plastic waste.”