1 minute read - 5th January 2023
First Milk completes £20m creamery investment
First Milk has recently completed a £20m investment at its Lake District Creamery in Aspatria, enabling the site to process 1 million litres of milk a day. Capacity at the site has increased by 40% over the last four years, with five new high-capacity cheese blockformers also installed as part of the investment, capable of packing cheese at a rate of 7 tonnes per hour.
In a time of great change for the agricultural industry, First Milk added that this capital investment at the Lake District Creamery was part of a wider programme across its business, as the farmer-owned cooperative has focused on increasing capacity, productivity and building operational resilience.
First Milk has completed a £20m investment at its Lake District Creamery in Aspatria / Picture: First Milk
Shelagh Hancock, First Milk chief executive, said: “Cumbria is a county with a strong dairy heritage, and we are proud to have so many cooperative members in this area. That’s why our investment at Lake District Creamery is so important – it sits in the heart of our Cumbrian milk field.
“This £20m investment saw us install five new high-capacity cheese blockformers, capable of packing cheese at a rate of 7 tonnes per hour. In addition, we’ve upgraded milk intake and milk storage, installed two new milk pasteurisers and two new whey pasteurisers and an end of line robotised stacking and palletisation system, alongside a 120-tonne automated cooling store.
“Altogether, this transforms the site, allowing us to process 1 million litres of milk a day and ensuring that we can continue to play our part in meeting the growing global demand for dairy, securing the future for our members.”