Business village provides ingredients for growth for Irish foods company

An Irish ingredients business has expanded its presence in Macclesfield to accommodate its growing workforce.

Family-owned Willows Ingredients is based in County Wicklow, and its UK sales and management team is now situated in 2,200 sq ft of space at Elmwood Court, in Orbit’s Tytherington Business Village, expanding from nearby Springwood Court.

Willows is a distributor of raw materials for global food, healthcare, sports and animal nutrition industries.

It imports high quality product from all over the world and supplies it to leading brands across the UK, Ireland and North America. It also has a Shanghai office.

The new Macclesfield offices will provide ample space for a safe, socially-distanced return to work from lockdown for the UK team and there is an opportunity to take more accommodation at Elmwood as the business continues to grow.

Rising consumer interest in dietary supplements, the rapid growth of the sports nutrition market, expansion of stand-alone and customised animal nutrition solutions, and, not least, the search for more sustainable food stuffs to reduce impact on the planet, have all contributed to a consistent year-on-year growth picture for Willows.

Head of sales, Rachell Hipkiss, said: “We consider this our ‘forever’ home. It had to be on this park – the amenities and rural location is second to none – and its good rail and road network and proximity to the airport is important for our global customer base.

“It’s also a place we can be proud to bring clients with private meeting space and bright, roomy kitchen facilities and the support of a building manager. This is particularly important as we bring the team back in after lockdown.

Orbit’s leasing surveyor, Benn Dickinson, who helped manage the move, said: “Willows Ingredients is an important existing client and we are delighted to be helping them in the next stage of their growth journey. The new offices in Elmwood will not only provide for what they need now, it has plenty of room for growth.”

Tytherington Business Village lies two miles north along The Silk Road from Macclesfield town centre and is an established, mixed-use business and residential community set in 43 acres of mature parkland.