Firm behind well-known cheese and butter brands makes £3m factory investment
Ornua Foods UK, the company behind butter brand Kerrygold and Pilgrim’s Choice cheese, has announced a £3m investment in cheese cutting and packing equipment at its Staffordshire facility.
The latest investment will see the installation of an additional high-speed cheese slicing line as well as the further expansion of Ornua’s cheese grating capabilities.
Overall, the new equipment will result in an additional 7,000 tonnes of capacity bringing total annual production to over 110,000 tonnes.
Ornua’s Leek operation employs in excess of 650 people.
The new investment at Leek comes at a time when Ornua Foods UK says it is experiencing strong growth in both branded and own label cheese, with sales through major UK retailers increasing by 15% to date in 2020.
It says this in part can be linked to the significant change in consumer buying patterns witnessed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Bill Hunter, Ornua Foods UK’s managing director, said: “Ornua Foods UK’s success is based upon our commitment to delivering a comprehensive range of high quality products to our retail customers in the most consistent and efficient manner possible. Central to this is our Leek cheese cutting and packing facility, one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Europe and home to Pilgrims Choice, one of the nation’s most popular cheddar brands.
“Our latest £3m investment at Leek comes at a time when we are experiencing strong business growth and will strengthen our position as a leading supplier of high quality cheese and butter to many of the UK’s major supermarkets. We our very proud of our standing as an employer of choice in the region and are committed to providing local people with the opportunity to become part of the Ornua success story through offering a wide range of long term and rewarding career paths.”
