Ornua Foods UK to invest £3m at cheese packing plant

Dairy company Ornua Foods UK has announced a £3 million investment to add new cutting and packing equipment to its Leek cheese processing facility.

The funds will be used to install an additional high-speed cheese slicing line, as well as to expand 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. 

According to Ornua Foods UK, the investment comes at a time when it is experiencing strong growth in both its branded and own label cheeses, with sales through major UK retailers increasing by 15% to date in 2020. 

Ornua Foods UK produces the Pilgrims Choice cheddar brand, which has reportedly grown by 25% in the last 52 weeks. In addition, the company supplies own label cheddars to retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Iceland.

Bill Hunter, managing director at Ornua Foods UK, said: “Our latest £3 million investment at Leek will further enhance our cheese packing capacity and capabilities delivering further improvements in yield and efficiencies, as well as allowing us to respond to growing consumer demand for cheese in sliced and grated formats.

“Our latest investment in Leek comes at a time when we are experiencing strong business growth. This reflects our focus on delivering quality, efficiency, customer service excellence and innovative ways of working for our major UK retail customers.

“We believe our current investment and that planned in future years both at Leek and in support of our Pilgrims Choice and Kerrygold brands will continue to give the company a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”