2 minute read - 17th April 2025
Work starts on £179m Arla Foods mozzarella plant in Devon
Arla Foods, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative, has begun work on its £179m mozzarella plant in Devon.
Last year, the farmer-owned business announced it would be making one of its biggest ever UK investments to enable it to produce mozzarella in Devon from as early as 2027. As part of the investment, its Taw Valley Creamery will be updated to include state-of-the-art technology, enabling the business to export mozzarella that can be used for pizza toppings around the world.
The investment will create over 100 additional skilled jobs for the local area, and the business is looking to recruit for a variety of roles, including apprentices.
The news follows the announcement of Arla’s 2024 annual results, whereby the dairy cooperative confirmed it made record investments of more than €1bn (£859m) globally in 2024. In February, Arla Foods announced a proposal to invest £90m into its Lockerbie site to future-proof its UK production and support the future of British dairy.
Arla Foods has begun work on its £179m mozzarella plant investment at its Taw Valley Creamery in Devon / Picture: Arla Foods
Never miss the latest manufacturing news by signing up to our newsletter here
Fran Ball, VP of production in the UK, said: “We’re incredibly proud to see work has begun on our state-of-the-art mozzarella plant in the UK. As part of the launch of our mozzarella line, we are exploring how we can use this as an opportunity to recruit more people into the industry. In particular, we are looking at trialling an apprenticeship scheme, which means we will be able to train apprentices over the next two years, with a view to offering them a full-time position at Taw Valley, for when our mozzarella production begins. This is a really exciting time for Arla and for all our colleagues at Taw Valley as we continue to showcase Arla’s leading British dairy production.”
Bas Padberg, managing director of Arla Foods UK, said: “The investment into our Taw Valley site showcases our commitment to driving change in the UK, and supporting the future of British dairy. We are already one of the leading players in global mozzarella market providing quality cheese to customers worldwide, but this investment allows us to continue to support our farmer owners by returning the best price for their milk.”
