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Wensleydale Creamery to increase production with £17.9m investment
North Yorkshire’s Wensleydale Creamery, home of the famous Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese, is to significantly increase production and improve productivity across the business, following a £17.9m deal with HSBC UK.
The funding, along with securement of an EU productivity grant of approximately £800,000, will enable the creamery to modernise its cheese-making facilities, with the purchase of new vats, working tables and cheese-making and curd-handling equipment. A new cheese smoking plant, along with water recycling and increased milk storage capacity is also planned.
Wensleydale Creamery is to invest £17.9m to significantly increase production and improve productivity / Picture: Wensleydale Creamery
In addition, almost £1m of HSBC UK’s funding will go towards a cheese blending and waxing facility, allowing the business to blend cheese more efficiently with a state-of-the-art production line.
By-products from the cheese-making process at the creamery are being taken to Iona Capital’s bio-gas plant in Leeming, North Yorkshire where it is converted into electricity to produce around 10,000 MWh of thermal power, enough to heat approximately 800 homes per year.
Increased production, efficiency and sales growth will also help to secure local employment opportunities and ensure a sustainable future for the local farms supplying the creamery.
David Hartley, Managing Director, Wensleydale Cheese, said: “The support from HSBC UK will allow us to increase and improve production across the creamery. By investing in new, modern equipment, we can improve our efficiency as well as improve process control with technical excellence. It puts us in a strong position to grow the business and meet customer demand for our brand and products. HSBC UK provided sound guidance and showed enthusiasm for our growth plans.”
Wensleydale Creamery employs 230 people and produces 4,000 tonnes of cheese a year at its creamery in Hawes, North Yorkshire / Picture: Wensleydale Creamery
Gordon Forster, Area Director, HSBC UK, added: “HSBC UK is a huge supporter of rural British business and Wensleydale Creamery is a much-loved British food brand, crucial to the economic well-being of the deeply rural area in which it is situated, and we’re delighted to help with its growth plans. David and his team have shown great commitment and strategic thinking behind their plans for sustainable growth and we wish them every success moving forward.”
The Wensleydale Creamery produces 4,000 tonnes of cheese a year at its creamery in Hawes, North Yorkshire. It employs a workforce of 230 and supplies a broad range of customers including major UK retailers, wholesalers, independent retailers, delis and farm shops around the UK, as well as the manufacturing and food service sector.
The creamery uses traditional methods to handcraft cheese to time-honoured recipes, using milk from local farms, as well as being innovative with the development of new cheese recipes.
It currently exports its cheeses around the world and is particularly popular in North America, Middle East and Europe. Its visitor centre also attracts 350,000 visitors each year.