90 jobs created as Lincolnshire potato supplier establishes new facility
Branston, a potato supplier across the UK, has revealed its plans to establish a mashed potato facility to serve major British supermarkets.
This marks a new direction for the company, which currently manages 350,000 tonnes of potatoes for various fresh and prepared products.
This facility is set to begin operations in spring 2024 and will be under the leadership of Wayne Mansfield, the mash production manager.
The factory will have two production lines, making 14 different products, including regular ready-to-eat mashed potatoes, unique root vegetable recipes, and jacket potatoes with various toppings.
Equipped with steam peeling, cooking, and a 2 km-long spiral chiller, the facility is projected to produce 23 million packs of mashed potatoes in its first year.
Jim Windle managing director of Branston, said: “This new facility has been in our plans for some time and now we’re just a matter of months away from starting to produce samples – it is fantastic to see it approach fruition.
“Previously, we sent peeled potatoes away to a third-party facility to be mashed, however, to improve efficiency and sustainability, it made sense to develop a solution in-house where we know we can get the best out of every potato and use the right varieties for the right products. This will not only improve the consumer product but also make the supply chain more sustainable. We are also very excited to be bringing 90 incremental new job opportunities to Branston and the surrounding Lincoln area. These roles will be specialised due to the technical nature of the production line and will include engineers, machine technicians, line operatives, section managers and a host of other positions.”
More articles in
Sectors
