Sweet deal as manufacturer invests £22m
The UK’s leading manufacturer of sweets, Haribo has invested £22m into its purpose built Castleford site.
The business states the strategic investment demonstrates the firm’s commitment to the UK and will be rolled out throughout 2021. It will deliver additional capacity, greater efficiencies and reduced costs at the site close to the M62 which produces 30,000 tonnes of sweets each year.
The investment will also look to ensure the manufacturer maintains its market leading position in the UK by meeting changing consumer habits by supporting the reformulation of products, reducing sugar and “creating treats that deliver greater choice to retailers and shoppers”.
Jon Hughes, managing director of Haribo UK described the investment as showing the firm’s “resilience and commitment to world-class production in an increasingly competitive market”.
Hughes said: “Investing £22m into our already world-class manufacturing facility will give us greater opportunity to produce the variety of sweets that we know bring childlike happiness to our customers. We focus on making great tasting treats that are just sweet enough and will continue to look for ways to reduce sugar content where we can.”
Haribo has been focused on reduced sugar treats since 2018 when it launched Fruitilicious a product that has since become one of the top ten products in its market with sales of £2.4m. The manufacturer has also reformulated its Jelly babies product to cut sugar and currently has 25 less sugar that its competitors.
Hughes added: “While these innovations showcase the changes in our range, it is important to remember that our most popular sweets are still made using the same basic recipe as our first ever Goldbear. This includes only natural flavourings and colours and with less sugar than our competitors. It’s why we’ve always been just sweet enough, and why we’ll continue to lead the way in using only as much sugar as we need to deliver the taste and texture that our customers love.”
