Wholegrain Digital is London’s original sustainable WordPress agency that has been building a greener internet for 17 years. They design low-carbon, human-centric websites for brands with purpose. As a certified B Corp for eight years, sustainability is at the heart of everything they do. They make sure every website they create is fast, efficient, and built to have a lighter impact on the planet.
Their commitment goes beyond the websites they build. Wholegrain developed the first Website Carbon Calculator to help companies measure and reduce their digital footprint. They focus on “digital degrowth,” removing unnecessary elements from websites to improve speed, SEO, and user experience while reducing energy consumption. They chose WordPress because it’s open source, community-driven, and built to last. The result? Websites that work better for people, businesses, and the planet.
So how does an agency passionate about sustainability find a web hosting partner that matches their ethos, streamlines their workflow, and provides exceptional support around the clock? Read on to discover how Wholegrain Digital overcame these challenges with Kinsta’s hosting solutions – and learn how Kinsta can do the same for you.
Company overview
- Sector: Digital agency
- Company size: 30 team members
Wholegrain’s challenge: Finding a hosting provider that matched their values
Wholegrain Digital needed a hosting provider that aligned with their commitment to sustainability while delivering reliable performance and a seamless developer experience. But many hosting platforms introduced roadblocks that slowed down their workflow and made scaling a challenge.
1. Inefficient workflows slowing development
Managing hosting across multiple platforms often felt like a headache. Instead of focusing on building great websites, Wholegrain’s team found themselves stuck dealing with:
- Complicated account management – Juggling multiple logins and inconsistent dashboards wasted valuable time and increased the risk of errors.
- Repetitive admin tasks – Routine processes like setting up user permissions, managing backups, and configuring security settings became a burden, pulling developers away from their core work.
- Unreliable technical support – When critical issues arose—like PHP errors, database tuning, or caching problems—developers often faced long wait times or had to troubleshoot on their own.
- No 24/7 support for urgent fixes – Without round-the-clock support, after-hours emergencies left international clients waiting, putting Wholegrain’s reputation on the line.
We knew our limitations—we can’t provide round-the-clock support ourselves. It was important to find a provider that could offer our clients the same level of support they’d get from us, even when we weren’t available.
2. Performance bottlenecks affecting user experience
Beyond workflow challenges, Wholegrain struggled with slow, unreliable hosting that impacted their clients’ websites:
- Frequent downtime and sluggish performance – Unstable hosting led to site outages, hurting SEO and frustrating users. Instead of focusing on innovation, Wholegrain had to constantly troubleshoot performance issues.
- Limited scalability and customization – Many hosting providers lacked essential features, forcing developers to use workarounds that slowed down deployments. They needed built-in flexibility for advanced setups like:
- Proxy domains for complex configurations
- Custom caching rules to improve speed
- Tailored security settings for different client needs
Without these capabilities, workflows were disrupted, projects took longer, and developers were stuck dealing with hosting limitations instead of building high-performance websites.
3. The sustainability dilemma
Wholegrain’s commitment to sustainability went beyond their own operations—they needed a hosting partner that took real, measurable action on environmental impact. Yet, most providers lacked transparency. Key questions went unanswered:
- How energy-efficient are their data centers?
- Do they use renewable energy?
- What are their carbon offset initiatives?
Many hosting companies made vague eco-friendly claims, but few provided real data to back them up. Without clear reporting, Wholegrain couldn’t be sure their hosting partner truly aligned with their sustainability values.
The need for a smarter, greener hosting solution
Wholegrain needed a hosting provider that could streamline workflows, deliver reliable performance, and uphold strong sustainability standards—all without adding extra complexity for their developers. It was time for a solution that matched their vision for high-performance, sustainable websites.
We never set out to find a new provider. We’d always worked with a range and naturally gravitated toward those we enjoyed working with and met our clients needs.
The solution
“For us, a high-performing website shouldn’t harm the planet—it should serve the person on the other side of the screen. That’s why sustainability is a core factor in every decision we make throughout the design and build process.”
Wholegrain Digital is committed to creating lean, high-performance websites that minimize data transfer and reduce carbon impact. But to make that vision a reality, they needed a hosting provider that shared their values.
1. High-performance, scalable green hosting
Kinsta’s infrastructure, powered by Google Cloud Platform, ensures that every website they host runs on 100% renewable energy, with a zero net carbon impact. Google’s data centers are designed for efficiency, using 50% less energy than traditional alternatives thanks to:
- Advanced cooling systems to minimize energy waste
- Optimized power distribution for smarter energy use
- Energy-efficient servers that reduce overall consumption
Beyond infrastructure, Kinsta actively cuts energy use with built-in server-level caching for faster page loads and Cloudflare’s global CDN, which optimizes efficiency and reduces load times for visitors worldwide
With Kinsta, Wholegrain can confidently offer clients sustainable websites without compromising on speed, reliability, or performance.
2. A remote-first, low-waste company
For us, a high-performing website shouldn’t harm the planet—it should serve the person on the other side of the screen. Kinsta helps us achieve both by providing the infrastructure we need to create lean, low-carbon websites.
Wholegrain Digital champions “digital degrowth,” creating lean, efficient websites that reduce carbon impact. With Kinsta, they now have a hosting provider that actively supports their vision rather than working against it.
- Office-related emissions (no unnecessary heating, cooling, or electricity waste)
- Commuting emissions (no daily travel = lower carbon footprint)
- Excessive waste (no printing, packaging, or disposable materials)
This approach aligns perfectly with Wholegrain’s values, ensuring that their hosting provider reflects the same environmental commitment.
3. A centralized dashboard for seamless management
Efficiency is key to Wholegrain’s workflow, and Kinsta’s MyKinsta dashboard makes managing multiple websites simple. By bringing everything into one platform, MyKinsta helps Wholegrain:
- Avoid juggling multiple logins and dashboards
- Reduce time-consuming administrative tasks
- Free up more time for design, optimization, and innovation
This streamlined workflow means less time spent on hosting management and more time spent creating great websites.
4. 24/7/365 human-centric support
When hosting issues arise, fast, expert support makes all the difference. Kinsta’s 24/7/365 support ensures Wholegrain’s team gets the help they need—whether it’s PHP configuration, database tuning, or caching setup—without frustrating delays.
One of the biggest benefits is Kinsta’s reliability and fast support. It allows us to focus on building sustainable websites instead of dealing with hosting issues or waiting hours (or days) for answers.
Not all of Wholegrain’s clients are tech-savvy, so clear communication matters.
We work with people across different sectors who have varying levels of digital experience. Kinsta’s ability to simplify technical terms was incredibly important to us.
With green hosting, a remote-first model, streamlined management, and expert support, Kinsta is a strategic partner in their mission to build sustainable, high-performance websites.
Results
With Kinsta, Wholegrain no longer has to choose between sustainability and speed. By combining 100% renewable energy hosting, a remote-first, low-waste corporate culture, and a performance-driven infrastructure, Kinsta provides everything Wholegrain needs to build fast, scalable, and environmentally responsible websites.
Wholegrain delivers secure, high-performing websites backed by Kinsta’s powerful infrastructure. Their clients benefit from:
- Consistent uptime and strong security
- Support for specialized configurations, including proxy domains
- A hosting setup designed for high-performance standards
Kinsta really excels compared to other providers. Their hosting setup ensures sites are secure, consistently online, and supports more complex configurations.
All the sites we build are incredibly performant, but Kinsta definitely backs this up with the speed at which they support delivery. Features like CDN use and caching make a noticeable difference.
2. Simplified site management with MyKinsta
Kinsta’s MyKinsta dashboard makes it easy for Wholegrain and its clients to manage access, collaborate with developers, and oversee multiple projects—all from one place.
- Flexible account structure simplifies developer access
- An intuitive UI provides control without unnecessary complexity
- Single SSH key access streamlines development across multiple sites
Kinsta’s account structure is a major advantage. It makes it simple for organizations to manage access while allowing developers to oversee multiple sites from a single account. The ability to use a single SSH key across multiple sites is another small but powerful feature that improves our workflow.
By eliminating time-consuming administrative tasks, Kinsta allows Wholegrain’s team to focus on what they do best—building sustainable websites.
- Fast, responsive support minimizes downtime and delays
- Simplified account management saves time and reduces errors
- More focus on high-impact work, leading to better results for clients
Kinsta really excels over other providers with its hosting setup. Our sites stay secure, are consistently up, and can support even less common configurations.
3. Stronger client trust and support
Kinsta’s reliable service and expert support give Wholegrain’s clients peace of mind, building long-term trust in their website’s performance.
One of the biggest advantages is Kinsta’s reliability and fast support. It maximizes our efficiency and allows us to better serve the organizations we work with.
We know the service will be great, the client will be treated like a human, and we don’t have to worry about the credentials of the provider behind the service. These are the same things we pride ourselves on, and with Kinsta, we’ve found a hosting partner that shares our approach.
Kinsta has helped us take our clients’ sites to the next level. Their support is knowledgeable, reliable, and always available. That’s the kind of service that builds lasting trust.
4. More focus on what matters
With Kinsta managing the technical side of hosting, Wholegrain can spend less time on admin and more time designing, developing, and maintaining sustainable websites.
Kinsta’s consistency and efficiency mean we spend less time on hosting issues and more time on what really matters—building better websites.
The bottom line
Kinsta provides Wholegrain with a sustainable, high-performance hosting solution that reduces friction, improves workflows, and strengthens client relationships. The result?
✅ Better websites
✅ Happier clients
✅ More time to focus on a greener internet
Want to experience these benefits for your own agency? Discover how Kinsta’s developer-friendly hosting and expert 24/7 support can help you streamline workflows, improve site performance, and uphold your commitment to a sustainable digital future.
Kinsta really excels versus many other providers is what they offer in terms of the basic hosting set up to ensure sites are secure and consistently up and running. They’re also more than able to support less common set ups and configurations, like proxy domains.
Outside of performance metrics, there is also a human impact that Kinsta has had on our clients that shouldn’t be underestimated because it helps to build the trust we need to push sites further and to perform better.
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