Dairy giant starts work on £179m South West mozzarella plant
Arla Foods, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative, has begun construction of a new £179m specialist cheese production site in Devon.
Last year the farmer-owned business announced it would be making one of its biggest-ever UK investments to enable it to produce mozzarella in North Tawton from as early as 2027.
As part of the investment, Taw Valley Creamery will be updated to include state-of-the-art technology – enabling the business to export mozzarella that can be used for the likes of pizza toppings around the world.
The investment will create more than 100 skilled jobs for the area, and the business is looking to recruit for a variety of roles, including apprentices.
Fran Ball, VP of production in the UK for Arla Foods, said: “We’re incredibly proud to see work has begun on our state-of the-art mozzarella plant in the UK. As part of the launch of our mozzarella line, we are exploring how we can use this as an opportunity to recruit more people into the industry.
“In particular we are looking at trialling an apprenticeship scheme, which means we will be able to train apprentices over the next two years – with a view to offering them a full time position at Taw Valley – for when our mozzarella production begins.
“This is a really exciting time for Arla, and for all our colleagues at Taw Valley – as we continue to showcase Arla leading British dairy production.”
The news follows the announcement of Arla’s 2024 annual results, when it posted record investments of more than €1bn globally in 2024. Arla Foods has also announced a proposal to invest £90m into its Lockerbie site as it continues its growth and support for the UK manufacturing sector and the future of the British dairy industry.
Bas Padberg, managing director of Arla Foods UK, said: “The investment into our Taw Valley site showcases our commitment to driving change in the UK, and supporting the future of British dairy.
“We are already one of the leading players in global mozzarella market providing quality cheese to customers worldwide, but this investment allows us to continue to support our farmer owners by returning the best price for their milk.”
