3 min read - 6 Nov, 2025
Radnor Hills unveils pioneering high speed Tetra Pak line
Family-owned soft drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills has invested £5m in a series of upgrades at its production site in Knighton, Powys.
At the centre of its investment is a new Tetra Pak line, which will allow Radnor to increase its overall carton capacity by 150%, from 60 million to 150 million packs annually. It is also the first Tetra Pak speed portion pack line to be installed in the UK with the latest technology upgrade.
As well as helping to deliver more than 20 new jobs, the new line will enable the independent business to meet consumer demand for this format and to expand into markets including the NHS, schools and the travel sector.
Additional site upgrades made by Radnor Hills, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, include extended warehousing capacity, a new canning line box packer, and a new ERP system.
Soft drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills has invested £5m to increase its overall carton capacity by 150% / Picture: Radnor Hills
All of Radnor’s drinks are made using pure Welsh spring water sourced from its boreholes just minutes from its production site in Powys. As well as still and sparkling Radnor Spring Water, the company makes Heartsease Farm, its range of sparkling presses; Radnor Splash, which sells at the rate of three units every second; and a range of school-compliant drinks.
The new filling machine is a Tetra Pak A3 Speed 0500 running a Tetra Prisma Aseptic 200ml carton with straw. It has a capacity of 24,000 cartons an hour, giving an annual capacity of 90 million cartons.
William Watkins, CEO and founder of Radnor Hills, said: “Our first Tetra Pak line was opened by the Duke of Kent in 2018 and it’s due to the success of the ranges from these lines that we’re now able to expand further, and to provide more customers with the best Welsh soft drinks.
“In addition to the new line, we have also made significant investments in the infrastructure of our site including extended warehousing capacity, a new canning line box packer and a new ERP system. We are also making continued investment in automation around the site.
“It’s a very exciting time for the business and I’m incredibly proud of our people, who are vital to our continued success and our growth.”
As well as helping to deliver more than 20 new jobs, the new line will help the business expand into markets including the NHS, schools and the travel sector / Picture: Radnor Hills
Chris Sanders, sales and marketing director of Radnor Hills, added: “Our Tetra Pak sales have been growing year on year for us and this new line will make us one of the most versatile soft drinks manufacturing sites in Europe.
“It will help us continue growth in the schools and foodservice sector while also giving us the ability to look at developing new export markets and the travel sector as well as potential innovation for the healthcare sector, hotel industry, prison service and new channels like convenience.”
Radnor Hills is the only drinks production facility in the UK that can produce packaging on site in all four formats: glass, PET, carton and cans. It produces over 400 million units of drinks annually and recorded revenues of £75.3m in the year ending 31 May 2024, up by 15% from the previous year.
