The dairy processor has submitted a planning application for an extension to its food factory in Leek, Staffordshire.
A spokeswoman for Adams Foods told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “Any information concerning development is confidential at the moment. We should be able to tell you more in the New Year.”
The Adams Foods site in Leek produces well-known household brands such as Kerrygold and Pilgrims Choice cheese. It is the largest pre-packer of cheese to the British retail sector.
£1.5M innovation centre
The planning application is for a bespoke £1.5M innovation and development centre, which will house Adams Foods’ blended cheese business and develop innovative lines for the future.
At present the company exports its offcuts and waste cheese to its site in the south of England, where they are processed into other products. This operation will be moved to the Leek site, hence the need for the extension.
The Leek plant currently employs around 600 people. If planning permission is granted, it will reportedly employ a further 50. The recruitment process will begin in March/April 2013.
Members of Leek Town Council have recommended the planning application to the District Council for approval. The final decision will be made by November 24.
Trading partners
Adams Foods is a subsidiary of the Irish Dairy Board (IDB), which is a co-operative owned by Irish dairy processors and, through them, dairy farmers. The IDB has a €2bn turnover.
Maintaining a strong presence in the UK market is critical to driving exports and meeting food manufacturers’ growing demand for dairy-based ingredients.
Within the UK Adams Foods’ and Adams Food Ingredients’ subsidiary companies are The Kerrygold Company, North Downs Dairy Company, Dairy Ingredients UK and The Meadow Cheese Company.
On its website Adams Foods declares its mission: “to be the most enterprising supplier of cheese, butter and other dairy products in the UK and grow its business by 50% over the next five years”.
The IDB invested £30M in the construction of the new facility in Leek.
Commenting on the construction of the facility, the IDB’s chairman Vincent Buckley stressed Britain’s strategic importance as a base from which to grow Irish dairy exports: “The Adams Foods facilities prove a platform for adding value to Irish dairy exports in the years ahead and will enable us to lead the way in best-in-class customised ingredients solutions.”
