Food & Drink News November/December 2019

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ONLIN E MA NOW AGAZINE VAILAB LE!

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2019

EXCLUSIVE FEATURES SHARPAK/BANTAM REVOLUTIONARY PRODUCT TACKLING OCEAN PLASTIC POLLUTION

W W W. F O O D A N D D R I N K N E W S . C O . U K

{ November / December 2019 }

Contents ONLINE E MAGAZINABLE! AIL NOW AV

04 INDUSTRY NEWS 14 BAKERY FOCUS 16 HUGHES BAKERY 18 R & L HOLT 21 ALFRED ENDERBY 22 SHARPAK/BANTAM 24 CHICKEN COTTAGE 26 MACKIE’S 29 SPICE AND SEASONING INTERNATIONAL LTD 30 KING ASIA FOODS

TO VIEW THE 2020 FEATURES LIST PLEASE VISIT WWW.FOODANDDRINKNEWS.CO.UK OR CONTACT US AT +44 (0)1484 321000 TO EMAIL A COPY TO YOU

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November/December Food & Drink News

{ Editor’s Foreword }

Editor’s Foreword

PUBLISHER Planet Media & Design Ltd Brooke’s Mill, Huddersfield HD4 7NR

MANAGING DIRECTOR Jillian Evans

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER Sarah Hoyer

CHIEF EDITOR David Barnett

SUB-EDITOR Rachael Whiteley

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Changing consumer tastes mean that there are more pressures than ever before on our food industry.

People are increasingly demanding vegan, vegetarian, glutenfree and nut-free options in their food, and that is something the food sectors — retail, restaurant, packaging and supply — must accommodate if they expect to survive.

As we see from this issue of Food and Drink News Magazine, the bakery sector in particular is proving to be very fleet of foot when it comes to reacting to the changing face of the marketplace.

There’s perhaps a lesson there for the industry as a whole as consumers demand more — and expect to be catered for.

David Barnett CHIEF EDITOR

Food & Drink News is published by Planet Media & Design Ltd. Company registered in England & Wales, number 09365661. All material is the copyright of Planet Media & Design Ltd. All rights reserved. Food & Drink News is the property of Planet Media & Design Ltd. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form, whole or part, without the written permission of a Director of Planet Media & Design Ltd. Liability: while every care is taken in the preparation of this magazine, the publishers can not be held responsible for the accuracy of information herein, or any consequence arising from it. In the case of company or product reviews or comments, these have been based upon the true and honest opinion of the Editor at the time of going to press.

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{ Industry News }

FUNKY NUT GOES NUTS FOR RIGGS AUTOPACK DEPOSITORS Funky Nut Company is a small business started up in 2014 by Julian Campbell. Their range includes natural nut butters, such as the 1kg peanut butter, as well as the Funky range of flavoured nut butters, such as hazelnut dark chocolate.

They don’t just make the standard smooth and crunchy peanut butters, nor do they play it safe with one or two flavours.

They push the boat out and take a chance creating flavours such as Cashew Butter & Cream Egg. Their range of on-the-go snack packs are sold at B&M stores across the UK, vegetarian and vegan healthy snacks that make great post-gym food or just a healthy snack at work.

Founder Julian Campbell says: “We manufacture all our own products, which many brands do not. I took the decision to manufacture as this allows for the everchanging flavour range as well as the ability to be in complete control of the process.

“Being one of the few companies that manufacture our own peanut butter has opened up opportunities for the business

and we also manufacture nut butters for several companies under white label agreements”.

Julian started working with Riggs Autopack Ltd in 2016 when he was looking for equipment to streamline the filling process of his products. He had experience

of Riggs Autopack’s depositors when developing his products at the NOW Food Centre, Chester University, so was keen to work with them again.

He subsequently approached Riggs Autopack for a suitable semi-automatic depositor that would handle his extensive range of nut butters. Following initial meetings and product trials at the Funky Nut Co’s premises, they purchased a Model 1000 Series 2 Table Top Depositor.

Since then, the Funky Nut Company has gone from strength to strength and continues to grow, and as production grew, Julian purchased further depositors from Riggs Autopack.

Riggs Autopack Technical Sales, Engineer Steve Burnham, adds, “One of the pleasures as a supplier of depositors and filling equipment is to assist artisan companies as they start out with small-scale production and then continue to work with them as they grow”.

www.riggsautopack.co.uk

RIGID CONTAINERS ATTAINS HYGIENE ACCREDITATIONS FOR DIRECT CONTACT FOOD PACKAGING Rigid Containers, part of the VPK Packaging Group and a leading supplier of sustainable corrugated packaging, has attained its first BRC Global Standards Higher Hygiene and The American Institute of Baking (AIB) certification.

The accreditations were earned by the company’s Wellington site, allowing Rigid to further build on its packaging solutions to the food and drink sector, and now supply direct contact packaging to manufacturers.

Over half a million pounds was invested by the business in readying the Wellington site for both the BRC and AIB audits, with improvements made to the building, equipment upgrades and enhanced training for staff.

The BRC Global Standard for Food Safety is developed by food industry experts from retailers, manufacturers and foodservice organisations to ensure it is rigorous and

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detailed. It provides a framework to manage product safety, integrity, legality and quality, and the operational controls for these criteria in the food manufacturing,

November/December Food & Drink News

processing and packing industry.

For the AIB, manufacturing facilities that are certified must ensure that their contracted third-party packaging material providers and packagers comply with Global Food Safety Initiative packaging requirements.

“It was important for us to not just go for one accreditation but for both as this means customers have complete peace of mind when choosing us for their food packaging requirements,” comments Paul Barber, Group Operations Director & Site Director, Wellington.

“Certification by both bodies provides the highest levels of scrutiny to our processes and is part of our ethos of going ‘above and beyond’ when it comes to quality control and safety.”

www.rigid.co.uk

{ Industry News }

PROSEAL GT4S WINS POLAGRA TECH 2019 GOLD MEDAL Proseal has won a prestigious MTP Gold Medal Award for its fully automatic, in-line GT4s tray sealing system.

The Miedzynarodowe Targi Pozanskie Gold Medals are one of the most recognisable awards in the Polish market and are awarded by a jury of experts to innovative products that demonstrate superior technology and manufacturing excellence.

The award follows the recent establishment by Proseal of a dedicated operation in Poland to provide comprehensive localised support and service for the rapidly expanding Polish market. Proseal Poland, based in Pozna is the company’s fourth Global Facility, led by long-standing Proseal UK employee, Tomasz Jankowski.

The Gold Medal winners were announced ahead of the Polagra Tech exhibition, held in October 2019 in Poznan, Poland. Proseal was one of only seven Gold Medal winners, selected from around 500 innovative product entries.

“We would like to congratulate Proseal on winning this prestigious award for the GT4s tray sealing system,” said Professor Henryk Jelen, Professor at Poznan, University of Life Sciences and Chair of the Polagra Tech 2019 Competition Jury. “The Gold Medals have been awarded to products which met the judges’ stringent criteria and demonstrated the highest-class technology. Winning this award is a confirmation of both product quality and excellence.”

www.proseal.com

GET A TASTE OF NEW FOOD AND DRINK INNOVATIONS FROM WALES Welsh food and drink producers are once again leading the way when it comes to food, health and sustainable nutrition.

Leading the way is Bug Farm Foods, producers of innovative and unique

products made with insect protein, including Cricket Cookies, Buffalo Biscuits, and a range of insect powders and whole insects.

Founders, entomologist Dr Sarah Beynon and chef Andy Holcroft have launched a

new insect and plant protein known as VEXo, developed to help tackle childhood obesity. VEXo can be used in a similar way to minced meat, whilst reducing saturated fat by 70-80%.

VEXo was showcased at Food Matters Live in London in November as part of an 18strong Food and Drink Wales delegation.

Also featured at Food Matters Live was Alchemy Gold, a new start-up company offering turmeric-based health drinks.

Founder David Dunn, spent three years researching and developing the product. He said: “Alchemy Gold was born out of my search for something to help with arthritis. I am a cabinet maker and joiner, which I hope to pursue into my retirement. To do this, I needed to find a remedy for the inflammation in my joints.”

For more information about Food and Drink Wales visit https://businesswales.gov.wales/ foodanddrink/

November/December Food & Drink News

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{ Industry News }

NEW PROFICIENCY TESTS PROGRAMME LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT THE INTERNATIONAL FOOD AND BEVERAGE SECTOR Fapas®, the proficiency testing arm of Fera, is marking three decades as a trusted global leader in proficiency testing with the introduction of a new testing programme.

The new tests, which are now available to order, have been developed to meet requirements from testing laboratories, and reflect changes in food and beverage processing, and consumer demand.

A key development is increased support for laboratories that perform analysis of fruit juices by adding proficiency tests for mould, aerobic plate count (APC) and lactic acid bacteria in fruit juice, to its range.

The seafood industry is also being supported in its efforts to increase safety for consumers with the introduction of a proficiency test for cadmium, lead and mercury in bivalve molluscs. Heavy metals may bio-accumulate in bivalve molluscs and exceed the maximum levels permitted by

legislation.

Additional new proficiency tests include tests for heavy metals in soya lecithin, mixed dry herbs and oat flour as well as aflatoxins in sesame paste (tahini) and peanut butter, in response to increased consumer demand for these products.

Fapas® proficiency tests provide laboratories with an independent assessment of their analysis of specific ingredients, foodstuffs and beverages.

More details can be found here: https://proficiencytesting.fapas.com/ proficiency-testing/

ABB INTRODUCES PICKMASTER® TWIN, WITH DIGITAL TWIN TECHNOLOGY TO REDUCE COMMISSIONING TIMES ABB Robotics has launched the third generation of PickMaster®, its market-leading robotic software for vision-guided random flow picking and packing applications for the digital Factory of the Future. The new PickMaster® Twin software is equipped with

digital twin technology for the first time, to shorten commissioning times from days to hours and cut changeover periods from hours to minutes. The PickMaster® Twin is best suited for factories and production lines where higher output, faster response times

and quick changeovers are vital.

Digital twin technology allows customers to test out robotic configurations on virtual production lines before physical lines are built. PickMaster® Twin now offers greater flexibility and visualisation of all complicated robotic manoeuvres designed for flowwrapping, tray loading, case and carton packing, and handling applications.

Enabling offline programming of picking and packing tasks means users can create, simulate and test a complete robot installation in a virtual environment without having to disturb their actual production line. This helps customers mitigate costly and time-consuming risks, and also shortens the time to market for new products, as product lines can be installed faster, ramped up to full speed without surprises during commissioning and continuously used in concurrent optimisation.

www.abb.com

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{ Industry News }

CHADWICKS DEVELOPS NEW LID FOR PREMIUM PRODUCT RANGE Market-leading pre-cut lid and shrink sleeve manufacturer Chadwicks of Bury (part of the Clondalkin Group), has developed an aluminium lidding material to seal to glass.

Developed in-house by Chadwicks, the decorative lids have been produced for a new premium yogurt range from Alston Dairy.

Ken Dunlop, Sales Manager at Chadwicks, said: “Typically, sealing pre-cut lids to glass presents many technical difficulties, however when Alston Dairy approached us about developing a new type of material capable of sealing to glass jars we rose to the challenge. Alston also required a ‘crimped over’ lid to emphasise the premium nature of the range.

“Working in partnership with our sister company Royal Vaassen in the Netherlands, we developed a material that provides an optimum sealing solution for glass, and teamed up with Seal-it-Systems to create the desired ‘crimping’ effect. We now have

another great addition to our lids portfolio, which has provided Alston Dairy with a high-quality lid that delivers enhanced shelf appeal for its premium product range.”

Emma Coupe, Development Director from Alston Dairy, said: “Chadwicks continues to impress our new product development team and we are delighted with the finished

product.”

Chadwicks of Bury is a leading supplier of flexible packaging solutions in the food, dairy, beverage, personal care and household sectors. With over 70 years’ experience, it has developed a reputation for leading the way in the manufacture of pre-cut lid and shrink sleeve packaging solutions.

Chadwicks of Bury is one of six companies operating throughout Europe under Clondalkin Group.

To find out more visit chadwicks-lids.com and clondalkingroup.com

XYLEM’S FLOJET BRAND LAUNCHES NEW AGITATOR PUMP DESIGNED FOR USE IN BEVERAGE REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS Xylem’s Flojet brand recently launched its new SPC41 agitator pump, specifically developed for continuous operation in beverage refrigeration systems. Expertly designed for innovative OEM engineers, the new SPC41 agitator pump delivers efficient and problem-free pumping, improving the overall end user drinking experience. The pump delivers trouble-free performance in fluid pumping and agitation, which maximises cooler design and productivity, while also ensuring temperature stability within the cooler.

The SPC41 is part of Xylem’s SPC series of semi-submersible column pumps designed for continuous operation in chillers, coolers, vending and general water applications.

Hydraulically designed using the latest CFD technology and based on the latest insights in fluid dynamic behaviour, water flow within the SPC41 can be predetermined to optimise operational efficiency.

The pump is fitted with an agitator

propeller on the shaft to maximise the efficiency of fluid pumping and agitation, and can handle a run-out flow rate of up to 19.4 litres per minute (l/min) and a head height of up to 6.2 metres (m).

Furthermore, the 230 volt (v), 50 hertz (Hz) motor is encased in an IPX4 motor housing for additional protection, minimising end user downtime and limiting the number of unplanned maintenance callouts.

Xylem’s Flojet technology is well proven, with more than 470,000 installations worldwide in the last 10 years. Xylem has been designing and manufacturing pumps in the beverage dispensing industry since 1963. As a market-leading, OEM-driven brand, Xylem has developed partnerships with major global equipment companies and brands across the drinks industry.

www.xylem.com

November/December Food & Drink News

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{ Industry News }

CHRISTEYNS FOOD HYGIENE TACKLES BIOFILM DETECTION

Chemicals specialist Christeyns Food Hygiene launches a biofilm detection product to aid safety and quality in the food supply chain.

According to a report published by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) in December 2018, there were 5,079 foodborne and waterborne outbreaks reported in 2017, an average of

100 such outbreaks per week, some of which affected several countries.

Based in Warrington, Christeyns Food Hygiene develops and manufactures food and beverage hygiene solutions for the meat, dairy and brewing industries.

Foodborne diseases comprise a broad group of illnesses resulting from a range of biological sources and are one of the biggest challenges facing the food processing industry.

Biofilm development can occur on almost all surfaces and in any environment where there are viable microorganisms, including those made of plastic, glass, metal or wood, or food products themselves. Because of their complex structure, biofilms provide a protective function to the microorganisms that they host, decreasing the efficacy of disinfection treatments.

Now available in the UK, TBF® 300S is a patented product that has been developed

by Betelgeux-Christeyns in collaboration with Madrid Complutense University.

Available in foam or liquid format, it does not require specialised personnel or complex equipment and provides accurate results in a few minutes.

“Offering this product in the UK is a great step forward in the battle against biofilm,” states Peter Littleton, CFH Technical Director.

“The presence of biofilms in food processing installations represents a great risk for food safety and can also cause operational problems in equipment. TBF® 300S allows clear, visual identification and avoids possible interference from other residues.”

Following use by several processing plants in the UK, TBF® 300S has proved to be effective in identifying the presence of biofilm. Brian McBride, Dairy Manager Belton Farm, comments: “It’s amazing to think that a few years ago it was impossible to quickly and simply detect live bacteria and biofilm contamination and now I can see them appearing in front of my eyes.

TBF® 300S could make a valuable contribution to our biosecurity toolkit”.

www.christeynsfoodhygiene.co.uk www.beltonfarm.co.uk

CLEARMARK’S AWARD-WINNING CODING AND LABELLING SOLUTIONS TACKLING COSTLY BEVERAGE DOWNTIME Research has shown that the beverage industry is highly competitive with less than 6% profit margin across the industry. For this reason, any unexpected downtime can be the difference between profitability and losses.

Clearmark has worked with beverage producers to eradicate downtime by building the ‘Quad ICE Vulcan Zero Downtime Labelling System’. This nifty system enables the customer to print on both sides of secondary packaging with four automatic application types seamlessly matching the 500mm per second throughput.

The system has been designed so when

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Innovative Ancillary Equipment category for a similar solution.

If you would like to work with a company that understands the damage of downtime and has the creativity and intelligence to deliver award-winning, downtime-busting solutions please get in touch with your challenge:

any of the printers need a consumable replenishment, the linked standby applicator takes over, completely removing any costly downtime or wastage.

Clearmark recently won the PPMA’s

November/December Food & Drink News

Email: enquiries@uk.interactivecoding.com www.interactivecoding.co.uk

{ Industry News }

SEEPEX BUILDS FRUITFUL PUMP PARTNERSHIP WITH NATURES WAY FOODS An automated waste-handling solution from SEEPEX is enabling Natures Way Foods to hygienically, safely and cost-effectively dispose of its food and packaging waste.

Seepex initially supplied Natures Way with open hopper PC pumps with auger feed screws, plus BTM pumps with integrated cutting knives, bridge breakers and extended hoppers, to chop and pump waste produced from fruits without stones. To handle stones, vines and other tough waste, Seepex also developed a sophisticated system incorporating an auger feed screw, a vertical cutting device and an open hopper pump.

Thanks to these successes, Natures Way turned to Seepex again; this time for an

hygienic waste removal system at its coleslaw and potato facility that could handle not only food waste but also packaging containers.

Seepex engineers built two waste removal systems: one for packaged food waste, which is sent for anaerobic digestion, and one for the remaining organic waste, which is sent for composting. Any reject products are tipped into tote bins, fitted with level sensors. Once they reach a certain level, the tipper is activated to drop the waste into a bespoke open hopper PC pump system, comprising an auger, a grinder and a pump.

Once broken down, the waste is pumped vertically into the factory’s ceiling space before being dewatered and compacted.

“Seepex’s sealed waste removal solution does exactly what it was designed to do – reduce costs, reduce labour, keep our manufacturing area clean and compliant, and keep our operatives safe,” says Andy Mays, Engineering Manager for Natures Way Foods.

“It enables us to pump our waste across a total distance of almost 100m, ensuring our

factory stays clean, tidy and free from contamination,” he explains. “By removing a manual element from our processes and automating it, we’re saving on labour. And dewatering and compacting the waste reduces the volume taken off-site, lowering our transport and disposal costs. It’s also helping to reduce a technical compliance risk, as there was the potential of new product becoming contaminated with the old. This enclosed system has therefore delivered on its promises.”

Tel: 01935 472376 Email: sales.uk@seepex.com www.seepex.com

NEW CONTROL SYSTEM FOR OPTIMUM SPRAY PRECISION Accurate and consistent spraying is essential in many food manufacturing applications

and the new FlexFlow™ spray control system provides outstanding precision combined with optimum control and flexibility. THE SPRAY NOZZLE PEOPLES’ FlexFlow spray controllers are for use with the recently launched Electric HydroPulse® and other automatic spray nozzles. Each control panel can be used as a stand-alone system, or be integrated with existing plant operations.

These plug-and-play controllers are ideal for precision spraying applications in food manufacture such as applying flavourings, coatings, preservatives, release agents,

moisturisers, mould inhibitors and antimicrobials. They also have the ability for even finer spray precision by regulating spray flow using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM). They are available in two options.

The FlexFlow 1000 is for smaller volume applications providing precision control for two zones of up to 12 nozzles, with six nozzles in each zone.

The FlexFlow 2000 option provides ultimate system flexibility for managing larger spraying operations of up to 20 spray nozzles in up to 20 independently controlled spray zones.

More details: www.spraypeoplegroup.com Tel: 01273 400092 www.spray-nozzle.co.uk

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{ Industry News }

SECURING INDUSTRIAL OPERATIONS IN THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY TACKLING DIGITAL VULNERABILITY Many people are familiar with the financial risks associated with cyberattacks, but agroterrorism — the intentional disruption of the food supply chain with the intention to harm the population — is an increasing risk.

Although the consequences of agroterrorism are relatively high, there has been little attention on minimising this type of threat.

Connected automation systems are making food and beverage manufacturing more efficient, productive and cost-effective, but this greater connectivity creates greater opportunities for agroterrorism. Here, Darcy Simonis, Group Vice President, Food & Beverage at ABB, discusses the need to integrate data protection into a wider plant safety system.

The food and beverage industry has historically been a slow adopter of technology, but this is changing. This highlevel of connectivity allows plant managers to gather and monitor multiple data points spanning all areas of the production line, including changes in temperature, equipment performance and the quality of ingredients. This can reap multiple benefits such as increased efficiency, quality, profits and improvements to human safety.

Unfortunately, many automation systems like this are prime targets for cybercriminals looking to disrupt a business or industry.

Data vulnerability can fall into several risk categories. For example, theft, public exposure, data corruption or loss, and data manipulation. Making sure that process data is protected against cyber attacks, should be a priority for all food and beverage manufacturers.

A major risk of data breaches is the malicious manipulation of recipes. Over two million people die from food-related illnesses every year and more than 1.3 billion tonnes of food is discarded due to spoilage.

According to a Trustwave Global Security report, the retail, food and beverage sectors are more commonly attacked than banking and financial firms. With increasingly automated production lines, hackers have the potential to hack into programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to poison a food supply or endanger food safety by shutting down refrigeration systems. This could not

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only impact suppliers but also impact transporters, distributors and restaurant chains.

Unlike the banking and financial sector, food manufacturing is not widely regarded as a high-risk industry. Therefore, it is common that food and beverage companies lack comprehensive cybersecurity programs.

However, as evidence suggests, this can risk causing illness and fatalities through tainted food, thus incurring legal battles, fines and negative impact on the brand. That is not to mention the costly downtime associated with shutting down a production line until the problem is dealt with.

Many operational technology systems are interconnected with IT networks, leaving them more exposed as there are multiple access points for cyber attacks. Insecure remote access, operating system flaws and a lack of staff training can all impact the cybersecurity strength of an organisation.

However, there are steps to minimise the likelihood of attacks.

Simple measures, such as implementing firewalls, timely deployment of security updates and using anti virus software, can protect against some common attacks.

Security zones should also be essential so that all data can be protected. To ensure safety systems are adequately secured, risk assessments should be carried out to detail each potential threat area and assess the identified vulnerabilities for their likelihood.

Threat detection aims to track and monitor the status of all operational devices and configuration of parameter settings, preventing any unauthorised interventions.

Continually monitoring these systems provides plant managers with an early warning sign of any unauthorised changes or malicious events.

Services like the ABB Ability™ Cyber Security Services, provide manufacturers

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with customised cybersecurity solutions with multiple layers of control.

Delivering sophisticated protection for the entire system life cycle, from identification of security risk to the recovery of compromised systems, ABB’s Ability™ Cyber Security Services can identify the vulnerabilities that exist in a system, so that the areas of weaknesses can be addressed and security controls implemented.

Plant managers should also opt for safety systems with cloud infrastructure built into the platform, allowing them to securely store their data.

Food and beverage manufacturers must adhere to fast production cycles to preserve nutrition value and freshness, while meeting the high-quality standards that the industry demands — and it’s clear that automation is the key to remaining competitive and achieving these goals. However, an effective cybersecurity solution is integral to keeping these systems safe.

In the past 35 years, ABB has successfully delivered and installed safety systems in more than 55 countries. For more information on how ABB’s software and services can transform your plant’s digital security visit the website.

https://new.abb.com/about/ technology/cyber-security

{ Industry News }

BROTHER UK AND NUTRITICS RESPOND TO NATASHA’S LAW WITH NEW LABELLING SYSTEM Nutrition software developer Nutritics has announced a new partnership with technology solutions provider Brother UK, designed to help foodservice firms of all sizes to comply with Natasha’s Law and boost efficiency.

The market-leading Nutritics software uses a database of more than 750,000 ingredients to manage recipe and menu information, including all the details required for food labelling, such as calculating nutrition and calories, and identifying any potentially dangerous allergens.

Now Nutritics has teamed up with Brother UK to create an integrated foodlabelling solution that uses a TD-2120N compact label printer to produce bespoke food labels at the touch of a button.

The solution provides an efficient, accurate way for foodservice firms to comply with new legislation dubbed Natasha’s Law, which was passed by the government in September and means all

foods that are pre-packed for direct sale must have a label that carries a full list of ingredients. Ged Cairns, Head of Business Unit at Brother UK, said: “Firms of all sizes can now manage the preparation and labelling of all their dishes in one easy-touse platform, and allergy sufferers can make

informed, safe choices when buying food”.

Nutritics is the world’s fastest growing recipe management solution and is already used by high street names including Starbucks and Leon.

www.brother.co.uk

LOMA SYSTEMS® X-RAY TECHNOLOGY GIVES PEACE OF MIND FOR BRIGHTER FOODS Award-winning food manufacturer, Brighter Foods, has recently invested in X-ray inspection technology from LOMA SYSTEMS® - the leading manufacturer of high performance metal detectors, checkweighers and X-ray inspection systems for the global food and pharmaceutical industries. The move supports an increased emphasis in the company’s product checking processes.

Producing over a million snack bars a day for brand partners in the slimming, sport, organic, free-from and other niche categories, Brighter Foods looked to increase their detection capability largely to satisfy customers’ code of practice (COP) stipulations. In complementing their existing metal detectors at Brighter Foods, Loma Systems recommended their X5C compact, a solution that checks for a wide selection of contaminants from metal to hard plastics and can also analyse product integrity.

Perfect for convenience food, ready meals

and small packaged goods, the system occupies a small footprint and can easily fit into a narrow production line - ideal for Brighter Foods.

“Overall the performance and reliability the X5C delivers has surpassed my expectations and we can feel comfortable in

the knowledge that every bar we ship has been quality and safety checked. Our customers are very happy we now have these checks in place,” said David John, Brighter Foods’ engineering manager.

www.loma.com

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{ Bakery Focus }

Not just bread… how bakeries are meeting new challenges The bakery sector has always been at the heart of the British food production industry and is responding to changes in our eating habits in ways that look to ensure that it keeps its key position.

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raditional bread consumption is actually in decline as consumers look to adopt healthier, vegan or gluten-free diets, and according to a report put together by French bakery group Bridor, the industry is meeting the challenge with relish.

Erwan Inizan, Commercial Director Northern Europe, Bridor, says that despite the fall in bread consumption, “it has been an exciting year for innovation in bakery products. Bakers are responding to changing demands by developing products that acknowledge this trend.

We’re seeing smaller formats being introduced such as the Half Baguettes and a similarly shrunk-down version of our leading Pochon Loaf. These options provide high-quality breads whilst minimising wastage”.

According to Inizan, increased use of cereals, rye, ancient grains and seeds in breads has been a noticeable development. There’s a growing popularity for Scandinavian-style breads. Varied inclusions such as flaxseed, millet, sunflower, amaranth and quinoa, and the use of malted flours. These elements are helping to deliver a real richness and depth of flavour to a wide variety of breads, as well as resulting in a more rustic,

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November/December Food & Drink News

textured appearance.

Inizan adds: “There’s a continued interest in health and wellbeing, with speciality breads – particularly those that are made using natural ingredients with minimal additives and preservatives – being completely on trend. Ancient grains, seeds and nuts not only enhance flavour, they benefit from additional nutritional credentials.

“Many premium quality breads are being made from traditional sourdoughs. These are being worked with a higher moisture level and longer fermentation periods.

This helps to deliver distinctively structured breads that deliver intense taste, complex shapes and finishes.

“Our bakers always say that a mediocre process will result in mediocre bread. France is famous for its bakery and Bridor, as a French supplier, is committed to upholding traditional baking methods like slow proving and long resting times – these are essential for producing great-tasting, authentic breads. Temperature and time are crucial to fermentation, Bridor’s carefully controlled environment achieves this over 48 hours in some instances. This has the added benefit of

{ Bakery Focus }

eliminating the need for chemical preservatives.”

Another major growth area in baking is the use of nuts, and especially almonds. Data published in the latest Global New Product Introductions report from Innova Market Insights reveals that almonds remain the most popular nut in new product introductions across Europe. Almonds’ relevance to established health trends, such as consumer preferences for clean label foods, helped drive almonds to the top spot for ingredients for the fourth consecutive year. Overall, there were 4,837 new product introductions with almonds in Europe in 2018, representing 45% of all new product introductions with almonds globally.

The report shows that Germany, France and the UK lead the European market, collectively introducing more than 2,000 new almond products in 2018.

Bakery is the second most popular category for new almond product introductions (17%), after snacks.

Almonds are also leading the way across the cereal category, which has seen the strongest growth for almonds (+8%), and bars, where almonds’ versatility makes them the top nut choice for manufacturers.

Dariela Roffe-Rackind, Director Europe & Global Public Relations at the Almond Board of California, says: ”Increasingly, consumers in Europe are seeking out ingredients that are convenient without sacrificing on taste. Product developers are tapping into the nutritional appeal and extensive versatility of almonds to grow and innovate within their product lines.

“Available in more forms than any other tree nut – from whole, slivered, chopped, butter, oil and milk to name a few –, almonds can be used in multiple ways across competitive categories to really help products stand out. This allows developers the ability to cater to a number of growing trends, many of which don’t necessarily require complex processes. For example, demand for flavoured almonds – both sweet and savoury – is extremely high amongst consumers in North America and other global markets, yet this is an opportunity still to be fully explored in Europe. We expect to see growth here.”

“Globally we’re seeing strong growth in what were previously smaller categories, such as sports nutrition, spreads and dairy products,” said Lu Ann Williams, Director of Innovation, Innova Market Insights.”In addition, as consumer interest for plant-based, clean label and gluten-free products rises across Europe, demand for ingredients like almonds that carry natural health-related claims is also on the rise.”

www.bridor.co.uk www.almonds.co.uk/food-professionals

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{ Hughes Bakery }

Continued success is icing on the cake for local bakers From Northallerton to Sheffield, from Whitby to Barnoldswick, there’s nobody in Yorkshire — and even into a bit of the white rose county’s cross-Pennine rivals Lancashire — that doesn’t know the name of Hughes Bakers.

O

ver almost a century the firm has built up an enviable reputation across the north and provides cakes, buns and bread products to a huge variety of outlets from shops to supermarkets to workplace canteens.

The company is now based in historic Saltaire, near Bradford, a World Heritage Site that was created by the philanthropist Titus Salt as a ready-built community for the workers at his huge mill that dominates the area.

And it’s the same philosophy that powers the 20,000 sq ft site that houses Hughes’ operations and its 60 fulland part-time workers.

Philip Hartley of the company says: “We always try to employ local workers where possible. In fact, a lot of our staff live so close to the site that they walk in.”

As you’d expect from a major bakery, a lot of the products are seasonal. In November, the company shipped out 60,000 pieces of parkin for the Bonfire Night celebrations, and Christmas puddings have been dominating the production lines in the run-up to the festive season.

Hughes’ supplies chains such as the Co-op, Asda,

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November/December Food & Drink News

McColls, Costcutter and a variety of cafes and canteens.

Their name is ubiquitous in Yorkshire, and they’ve just undergone a rebranding exercise with lively blue labels on their products that make them stand out even more.

The story began in 1925, when the original Hughes family arrived in Bradford from Wales. Two of the sons — Malcolm and Peter – took up apprenticeships at famous local craft baker Silvio’s, a Swiss-German family

{ Hughes Bakery }

business that had been established in Bradford for many years.

In 1959, Malcolm and Peter set up their own bakery business in Bradford, and over the next few years opened a number of shops around the city to sell their wares.

But in the last quarter of the 20th century the business moved more into wholesale trade than direct sales to the customers through shops. The rise of supermarkets had meant that fewer people were using their local high street bakery for their bread needs, so Hughes’ decided to consolidate their efforts on supplying their hugely popular product line to others.

In the year 2000 they marked the new millennium with a new phase, moving to their current home in Saltaire, and by this point their shops had been closed down.

By 2018 Malcolm Hughes, by now in his 70s, retired and three new directors — Colin Davies, Ian Connell and John Cummings — took over the running of the company and put into place new investment and fresh new directions to keep the company thriving and relevant in a changing world.

“We do a lot of innovation and we have developed a lot of new lines recently,” says Philip. “And we’re always keen to work with customers on bespoke products.”

One of those recently has been an order for around

NELSTROPS HAVE BEEN MAKING THE FINEST QUALITY FLOURS IN CHESHIRE FOR OVER 190 YEARS… We are pleased to be associated with Hughes Family Bakers and wish them continued success for the future.

WILLIAM NELSTROP & CO LTD Albion Flour Mills, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 1TZ

6,000 Christmas puddings laced with locally sourced craft beer.

In fact, says Philip, using local producers is as important to the company as employing local workers.

The cream used for their cakes comes from a dairy farmer just down the road, and they endeavour to use local companies for everything from the engineering to the servicing of their fleet of vans.

And great strides have been made at the company in what Philip calls clean labelling — showing to the customer that there are no what Philip calls ‘nasties’ in their products. It’s a meat and nut-free site and they’re catering for the growing vegetarian and vegan markets as well — there are egg-free ranges being developed, and increasing use of things like sunflower and pumpkin seeds in their products.

In five years’ time the company will be gearing up to celebrate its centenary. They may well have plans to expand on the table by then, and there is a move towards ensuring the Saltaire site is a ‘stressless’ plant — with production lines being “very easy on the product,” says Philip.

He adds: “We’re always exploring new avenues and new products, looking at new equipment and achieving the best possible standards.”

It’s been a long journey for Hughes Family Bakers, and one that in a way has been taken hand-in-glove with the Co-op, a great institution that is a very familiar sight across Yorkshire. And it’s been a journey that continues to produce dividends; turnover has increased year on year, currently at around £2.6m.

Hughes Family Bakery is a real Yorkshire success story that continues to go from strength to strength and serves the largest county in Britain from coast to countryside, and all points in between.

hughesbakery.co.uk

Tel: 0161 480 3071 www.nelstrop.co.uk

November/December Food & Drink News

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Plant Raisers Limited is the UK’s leading specialist propagator of tomato, cucumber and pepper plants, certiďŹ ed to conform to GlobalGAP and operating through a strictly controlled environmental and hygiene regime to ensure plants are supplied to the highest quality standards.

Our continued focus on quality has seen sales growth not just in the UK but abroad, in particular in France and Ireland.

We are also suppliers of salad and vegetable plants to a number of retail outlets throughout the UK as well as a leading mail order company.

We have been suppliers of tomato plants to R & L Holt Limited for many years and are delighted to be working with them as they continue to grow their business and in particular by supplying the plants for their new glasshouse development this last year.

We wish them continued success and look forward to many more years working with them on their journey.

PLANT RAISERS LIMITED Thorpe Road, Howden, East Yorkshire DN14 7PB

Tel: 01430 432200 Fax: 01430 432182 Email: sales@plantraisers.co.uk

www.plantraisers.co.uk

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November/December Food & Drink News

{ EVG/R & L Holt }

Vale of Evesham leading the way with innovation… again!

An exciting project is nearing completion in Worcestershire.

Evesham Vale Growers (EVG) have invested in a state-of-the-art glasshouse facility, built by the Dutch glasshouse contractor Certhon.

W

ith 8.1ha of glass designed for British tomato production there is an array of new equipment installed to optimise all-yearround growing.

Following knowledge gained by growing partners, R & L Holt, Sandylands project in 2014 (where they installed a hybrid lighting set-up with Signify Gen 1 LED inter-lighting and HPS top-lighting) the next step taken at the new site, called ‘La Serra’, has been to optimise

lighting further and efficiency.

This has resulted in the decision to choose Signify’s new Top Compact LED module together with HPS and Gen 3 inter-lighting.

Powering the lights are three Janbacher CHP engines installed by Gruppo AB. For those who know the tomato industry the Holts have continued to use the NFT system for irrigation for 40 years now. Without wanting to shy away from a

November/December Food & Drink News

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{ EVG/R & L Holt }

new challenge another well-known irrigation system is being used.

EVG/Holts have warmly welcomed experienced tomato grower Nick Arnst to the team as General Manager.

Nick has overseen the build since earlier in the year together with Roly Holt, with the site in full production now and the first phase of building nearing completion.

Commenting on his experience so far Nick says: “I couldn’t turn down the chance to come and join the team here. We’re well underway with production and the first picks are looking great”.

This project clearly shows EVG’s further commitment to British tomato production. On a site where they already have a solar farm and an anaerobic digester the glasshouse seems to fit the jigsaw nicely.

Commenting on this investment Andrew Bille, Director of EVG and member of the TGA Board, says, “It’s a great and exciting project that puts us on the map for all-year-round British production”.

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November/December Food & Drink News

{ Alfred Enderby }

Tipping the scales in favour of fish Patrick Salmon is a man with a mission. As the owner and Managing Director of Grimsby-based Alfred Enderby salmon and haddock smokehouse, which sells to retail, the restaurant trade and personal customers, Patrick is understandably evangelical about fish.

H

e just wishes we’d eat more of it. And with the traditions and expertise of the century-old smokehouse being combined with bang-upto-date selling techniques, especially online, that’s never been easier.

Nor, says Patrick, has it ever made more sense. More and more people are cutting down on meat and investigating a vegan lifestyle. But there is a middle ground.

“People don’t have to necessarily choose between eating a triple burger every day and cutting out meat completely,” says Patrick. “We’re saying, eat fish one or two days a week. And if it’s sustainability you’re looking for in your food, our haddock is hunted, wild, sustainable, naturally organic, low fat, low carbon, high nutrition and is an easy-to-prepare fast food.”

It’s a great source of frustration to Patrick that fish is often under-supported as a healthy alternative, and at Alfred Enderby he and his team are doing what they can to change that.

But that does not mean stinting on quality, not only with the fish itself, but with the process that gives it their trademark seal of quality.

It takes four people to load the fish, which is smoked overnight for 14 hours on the dock-side smokehouse, infusing it with the flavour of the chimneys’ tannins and tar.

“I’d love people to understand the effort and passion we put into making the product,” says Patrick. “We only fill our houses once a day, which is quite a lengthy and costly production method. But if you want the best quality, that’s what you have to do.”

Internet sales have really picked up in the last year, with customers able to order precise quantities online, and Alfred Enderby is pushing into more and more outlets, including a recent deal to supply Co-op branches in Lincolnshire.

They’ve picked up a clutch of awards, too, and the company also supplies wholesalers across the country as well as a number of Michelin-starred restaurants.

Fans include Mitch Tonks and Marco Pierre White, who has said: “Simply the most delicious smoked salmon I’ve eaten in decades”.

With an endorsement like that, it’s more power to Patrick’s mission to get us eating more fish, especially the quality products supplied by Alfred Enderby, which the smokehouse has been trading under since 1961.

Tel: 01472 342984 www.alfredenderby.co.uk

November/December Food & Drink News

21

{ Sharpak/Bantam }

Revolutionary product tackling ocean plastic pollution A quiet revolution has been happening in the world of packaging that is nothing less than a game changer.

S

omerset – based Sharpak, a subsidiary of European packaging provider Groupe GUILLIN, has been working with Bantam Materials UK, of Richmond, on the development and marketing of a brand new system which will alter the face of massmarket food packaging forever.

It’s called Certified Prevented Ocean Plastic and it offers complete traceability, and documents a complete chain of custody to give brand owners and customers the ability to clearly track the materials in their products back to specific coastal communities in at risk areas.

This allows the plastics to be properly recycled and gives impetus to the communities most heavily affected by plastic pollution to be part of the solution rather than the problem.

Ocean-bound plastics originate, in 80-90% of cases, from the developing world. They are generally found within 50km (30 miles) distance of an ocean coastline or major waterway that feeds into the ocean.

The problems arise because the country or region of origin lacks waste management infrastructure and collection incentives, the infrastructure is being overwhelmed by population growth or tourism. As we have seen on Blue Planet II, there is a significant risk to wildlife if plastic contaminates their ecosystem.

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November/December Food & Drink News

The new product runs by working with OceanCycle, a dedicated certification provider which goes beyond factory production, directly to bottle aggregation sites in at risk ocean environments to document the complete chain of custody.

{ Sharpak/Bantam }

Bantam’s Raffi Schieir explained that their Certified Prevented Ocean Plastic product line, when paired with a QR code on the packaging, can give detailed information to the consumer about where the plastic came from and how it was recycled.

In real terms, this could mean that a family living in poverty in one of the target regions could organise collection of coastal plastic waste and receive payment

Proud to be warehousing and distribution partners for Sharpak Ltd. Ambient food and drink storage and distribution specialists, BRC and Soil Association accredited.

for handing it in. The bigger picture benefits are that they could use this money to buy, say, a flatbed truck and organise waste collection on an even bigger scale, eventually growing to become a factory-level recycler themselves.

Sharpak’s Andrew Fisher has been holding talks with many major UK retailers who are keen to take on the product to increase their own accountability with regards to the plastic they use in their packaging.

“It’s very exciting times,” said Fisher. “There are going to be a series of announcements coming out over the next few weeks. This is a real-world, fact-based solution to a big problem and all the retailers we have spoken to are very ethical businesses who want to do the right thing.”

www.groupeguillin.fr/en www.bantamltd.com

www.willmottstransport.com

01749 880333

Waterlip, Shepton Mallet BA4 4RN November/December Food & Drink News

23

{ Chicken Cottage }

Global domination on the cards for Chicken Cottage It’s 25 years since the first Chicken Cottage restaurant opened in Wembley, North London, and in the intervening quarter of a century the brand has become a major player on the global fast food franchise stage.

C

hicken Cottage is wholly owned by Terengganu Inc. Sdn Bhd, a government-link company under the Terengganu State Government of Malaysia. It’s now become one of the fastest growing British franchise opportunities. Since 1994 they’ve developed a speciality menu which was devised to be a bit different from the traditional fast food. It has proved to be a rapid success with the growth of multiple restaurants around the country and overseas.

The company’s global presence has been firmly established and it has demonstrated the ability to possess the organisational strength for further growth, proving time and time over that it not only has a concept that can be loved by all but also has the organisational maturity and strength to meet the challenges that global expansion provides.

We caught up with the Group Chief Operating Officer Nasrul Halim Lim, at the Chicken Cottage headquarters in Croydon to find out where the company is at now. And, says Halim, it’s a group that never stops moving.

“We are constantly looking to improve our offering for both our customers and franchisees, we have recently formed an NDP (new product development) committee who are always on the look-out for the next big thing. 2020 will see the launch of an amazing

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November/December Food & Drink News

unique Crunchy Chicken and a variety of South East Asian flavours,” he says.

And not content with making great strides in the UK market, the company is penetrating deep into new global territories, especially in India, Dubai and, next on the agenda, Malaysia. That’s as well as maintaining their market share in the UK and always being on the lookout for new franchisees at both individual and multiple sites.

Halim says, “Currently we are undergoing a project to rebrand approx 40 of our existing stores, on top of this in the new year we will be launching our own range of

{ Chicken Cottage }

delicious ice creams and dessert range, both in stores and focusing on the home delivery market. We have recently opened new stores in Leeds and Thornton Heath.

“We have opened four new stores in the past few months, we have also completed full refurbishments of two further stores, we are very excited for 2020 with an exciting pipeline for new stores throughout both the UK and the rest of the world.”

Innovation has also been carried out with the opening of the first ever Chicken Cottage drive-through store, thanks to the company’s master franchisee in Nigeria. And with this innovation and expansion has also come increased growth. Halim says: “We are fortunate to be a brand of choice, over the past three months we have seen an increase in our distribution sales resulting in record sales, this in turn has generated sales growth for our franchisees, too”.

That’s also translated to new appointments. He says, “We are very fortunate to have a fantastic team here at Chicken Cottage, to support our growth we have both focused on external recruitment and balancing that with internal promotion.

“At the start of the year we added to our Franchise Support Coach team, in addition we have also added a new Senior Manager to our Business Development team. We are also very proud of our internal

development, with many of our key management positions being internally filled, we very much feel that we have the right blend of both internal and externally recruited team to support the continued growth of Chicken Cottage.”

The long-term goal over the next five years is for Chicken Cottage to be a leader in both franchising and distribution of their products and the number one choice for consumers in the UK for fried and grilled chicken.

This will manifest over 2020, says Halim. He adds: “We have a very exciting and busy 2020 ahead, we will be utilising different mediums to push our expansion, these ranging from the key franchise exhibitions both in the UK and around the world, we will also be holding regionalised introduction sessions here in the UK”.

When appointing new franchisees, Chicken Cottage is looking for people with management skills, commitment, and a strong interest and passion in the brand. The average set-up cost per store is around £200,000-250,000, and depending on the shop size the franchise fee is usually between £15,000-30,000, while at Master Franchise level — where a franchise for an entire region or territory is granted — it can go anywhere up to £500,000, depending on the country and its area and population.

Bowman Ingredients specialises in the production of coating systems for customers in the global food processing industry.

UK Headquarters Arlesey Road, Ickleford, Hitchin, Hertfordshire, SG5 3UN Tel: 01462 422722 Email: info@bowmaningredients.co.uk

Through our strong customer focus and dedication to product innovation we have grown to become one of the UK’s leading food coatings companies and a major player worldwide, supporting many of the world’s leading brands through our international network of manufacturing sites and commitment to new product development.

We produce a full range of dry cereal-based coating systems for frozen and chilled food applications.

Our coatings include: • Breadcrumbs • Batter Mixes • Dry Mix Marinades • Breaders

Applications suitable for meat, poultry, fish, seafood, potato & vegetable products.

We are proud to supply Chicken Cottage and wish them continued success for the future.

November/December Food & Drink News

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Great snacks taste better with big, imaginative flavours!

We offer real innovation and expertise in creating a diverse range of flavours and seasonings suitable for the snacks industry.

To create tasty products that people will keep buying… the only real limit is your imagination!

Frutarom Savoury Flavours Riverside Avenue West, Lawford, Manningtree, CO11 1UN Phone: +44(0) 1206 393 540 Email: info@savouryflavours.co.uk www.savouryflavours.co.uk 26

November/December Food & Drink News

{ Mackie’s of Taypack Ltd }

The taste of Scotland that’s conquering the world!

Mackie’s of Scotland is renowned for its luxury ice cream brand, but over the past decade they have been making their name in another snacking sector — potato crisps.

M

ackie’s Crisps is the creation of an awardwinning family business – Mackie’s at Taypack Ltd – which was founded in 2009 as a joint venture between Perthshire potato farmers, the Taylor family, and ice cream manufacturer Mackie’s of Scotland.

The Taylor family are experts in potato production and sourcing: they grew potatoes in Perthshire for several generations. The Mackie’s have over 20 years’ experience in producing indulgent ice cream from their farm in Aberdeenshire. Together they have focused their expertise to create the range of Mackie’s Potato Crisps, which are now available in all the main retailers and wholesalers in Scotland as well as around 20 countries around the world.

As the company continues to grow they remain committed to their family values and place heritage and provenance at the heart of everything they do. Their crisps are made in Perthshire, at a production site just a few miles from the Taylor’s family farm, ‘Moncur’, and they take pride in managing the full crisp-making process ‘from plough to pack’.

The Mackie’s Crisps story goes back many years… to when the Taylor family began farming in Perthshire in 1928, to them teaming up with Mackie’s of Scotland in 2009, and beyond.

The late George Taylor’s grandson – also called George and now the MD of the company – entered the

family business and set up Taypack Potatoes, which grew to be one of Scotland’s largest potato businesses in the UK. In 2008, the Taylor family secured the sale of Taypack Potatoes and set their sights on the snacking sector.

It just so happened that the Mackie family were also thinking about entering the snacking sector at that time. It took just two meetings for the families to agree that Scotland didn’t need more than one premium crisp business. The resulting joint venture company – Mackie’s at Taypack Ltd – was formed, with the two family businesses teaming up to create the perfect Scottish potato crisp. A small part of the original Taypack potato production site in Inchture was transformed into a state-of-the-art crisp factory.

November/December Food & Drink News

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{ Mackie’s of Taypack Ltd }

In 2009 Mackie’s Crisps were launched, beginning with just three core flavours – Sea Salt, Sea Salt & Vinegar and Mature Cheddar & Onion – but soon added their Scottish speciality varieties to the range.

They quickly became renowned for their unique Scottish flavours.

Having secured listings with all the major retailers in Scotland, they soon decided to take their crisps further afield. They began to initiate activity in international markets in 2010, including Europe, the UAE and Asia.

2010 also saw them receive their first Scotland Food & Drink Excellence Award: the Scotch Bonnet Chilli Pepper Potato Crisps won Product of the Year.

The company invested heavily in new product development and international activity in 2012 and continued to grow their export business and, for the second year in a row, won the Scotland Food & Drink Award for the ‘Retail – Confectionery & Snacking’ category. Following enormous growth in both the UK and overseas they made the decision to move to a larger factory in 2013.

Inchcoonans in Errol – previously Errol Brickworks – was selected as the perfect site to expand the operations and they moved into the new factory in July 2013.

Innovation and experimentation with new flavours is at the heart of the business, with products such as Venison & Cranberry and Whisky & Haggis Ridge Cut Crisps proving a hit and helping to get the company into major supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda — and to further afield with launches into China in 2014.

Mackie’s started 2016 off with a bang, with the launch of their brand new Popcorn range, followed by festive flavoured Turkey & Haggis Stuffing Crisps and Mince Pie Popcorn and by the end of that year they were selling to 19 countries including Russia and the Czech Republic.

In 2016 George Taylor’s son and now fourthgeneration family member joined the company as

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November/December Food & Drink News

Commercial Director. James Taylor now heads up the Sales and Marketing team and continues to expand into new markets and grow the company’s already impressive sales position.

Much of the success of Mackie’s is down to their very particular production methods, of which they’re very proud. The crisps are made in Scotland with the best varieties of crisping potatoes. They select potato varieties which have been bred for purpose with a high dry matter and low levels of sugar, which help to deliver the best flavour, texture and colour for crisps.

Following harvesting from the fields the potatoes undergo a very careful selection process to ensure optimum size and quality.

They are then stored at precise temperatures to keep them fresh and to avoid build-up of sugars, then they undergo the unique gentle cooking method, which ensures a great crunch, fresh potato taste and dry texture.

Sustainability is also high on the agenda at Mackie’s at Taypack. They are an environmentally awardwinning business, and are committed to demonstrating good environmental stewardship.

They ensure that resources are carefully recycled and re-used wherever possible. Wastewater from the factory is fed through a sustainable drainage system and potato and crisps waste is used as livestock feed or used in anerobic digestor plants throughout Scotland.

The location in Perthshire is an ideal transport hub for serving Scotland and the rest of the UK. The Taylor family have their own transport company, Taylor Transport, so they can ensure that vehicles are subject to regular maintenance and checks to meet or exceed regulations on exhaust emissions, and have been fitted with steering rear axles to minimise road wear and noise.

mackiescrisps.co.uk

{ Spice and Seasoning International Ltd }

On the spice trail Variety truly is the spice of life for Stuart Macfarlane, founder of the Suffolk-based business Spice and Seasoning International Ltd.

S

tuart started the company in 2014, with the backing of several investors, and purchased a site on an industrial estate in Haverhill with great communication links, being just 10 miles east of the M11.

There are around a dozen staff working with Stuart at the 10,000 sq ft site, which has warehouse capacity for 450 pallets and which is where the magic happens, as the team develop new products in their state-of-the-art development kitchen.

The list of products that Spice and Seasoning handles is truly amazing, with meat seasonings and glazes, snack flavourings, spice and herb mixes, soup bases and ethnic seasoning.

Their major markets are the ethnic restaurants and supplier chain, although they have been developing more meat seasonings, especially in the barbecue sector, and seasonings such as piri piri, for the westerninfluenced markets.

Spice and Seasoning’s reach is truly global, and they import from Asia, India, Europe and even the USA, from which they obtain predominantly mustard.

Equally, their exports are as impressive, with one of their major markets being the Middle East.

Stuart has been in the spice industry since he was 17, so for almost 30 years, and brought his experience to bear on setting up the perfect import, export and production network for his own business.

And it’s paying dividends, as Spice and Seasoning’s turnover has increased impressively since the company was established, rising from £900,000 to £1.3 million last year, with this year expected to attain further growth to £1.6m.

The technical specs of the factory include a 1,000 litre Karl Schnell ribbon blender, a 1,000 litre Winkworth ribbon blender, and a 250 litre Rigal Bennett machine, alongside the new development testing kitchen where Stuart says he has ‘two gurus’ who work hard on product development and innovation.

Stuart says: “What sets us apart from our competition is our expertise, our speed and our willingness to work with our customers. Some of the bigger companies in this sector are simply not as adaptable as we can be.

“We develop or match and create new products exactly to our customers’ specifications and requirements, so they can come to us and get exactly what they want.”

One of the challenges the flavourings industry faces — which Stuart is proud that his team have met with aplomb — is developing products within the legal requirements for flavourings and colourings, and the company is using natural blends to achieve the exact combinations that their customers need.

Although the company is growing at a pace, Stuart is always looking to the future, and says four or five years down the line the company might be looking more at liquid technology, such as cooking sauces, and possible expansion of storage facilities.

November/December Food & Drink News

29

{ King Asia Foods }

Bigger is better Mayflower has been producing their ever popular Curry Sauce Mix in retail packets for over 30 years since opening their doors in 1985, which has made Mayflower become a prominent household name in the UK.

T

he sought-after Curry Sauce Mix in retail packs has led the company to create their longawaited Southern Style Gravy Mix. Much like the Curry Sauce, the gravy has also become a popular choice for consumers within the home nationwide.

And sales are only predicted to skyrocket as more people realise how delicious these sauces are.

As well as retail packs, Mayflower also produce these in catering sized 4.54kg buckets that are ideal for pubs, cafes, takeaways, restaurants and commercial eateries (or even individuals that can’t get enough). The generous bucket size and competitive pricing of the sauce mixes means the price per portion is lower than you’d think and tastes a million bucks. Mayflower sauce mixes come in ambient form, making storage easy and the shelf life long: this means not having to stock up regularly, saving space and money. Having a long shelf life and a resealable bucket means you can take as much as you need without worrying about wastage, ensuring further profits and an eased conscience.

The quick and easy process of making up the sauces from Mayflower allows for these to be made to order or made in bulk without hassle. Simply add cold water, and follow the instructions on the bucket and the sauces will be ready in less than 5 minutes with zero difficulty or fuss in the process.

These sauces are vegan-friendly and low in calories meaning these sauces already appeal to a wide variety

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November/December Food & Drink News

of customers and providing multiple unique selling points to get new customers in the door and give the loyal existing customers a reason to come back.

All Mayflower products are manufactured in a 15,000 sq ft BRC Grade A factory and the recipe created by an onsite chef, which is overseen by one of the brothers who launched the family business, ensuring the highest levels of consistency and quality in their products.

Using Mayflower’s versatile sauce mixes, you can create dishes from a range of different cuisines including Chinese, fish ‘n’ chips, roast dinners, pies, fried chicken, burgers and much more. Chicken topped with either of the sauces is a personal favourite of many!

Don’t believe us? Here's what some real satisfied and happy customers say: The gravy is perfect with chicken and chips and we love the curry over chicken fried rice ‘@whatsianeats_sw, If you haven’t tried Mayflower’s Chinese curry sauce yet you MUST! @sw_hendersons Mayflower gravy, in love with the stuff, especially over chicken @healthy_holly_mfp Believe us yet?

{ Forward Features List }

ComingSoon...

FOOD&DRINK NEWS

JANUARY 2020 HEALTHY EATING PACKAGING INNOVATIONS PREVIEW FEBRUARY 2020 ETHNIC FOODS FREE FROM PRODUCTS MARCH 2020 ON BOARD CATERING NATURAL FOOD SHOW PREVIEW

APRIL 2020 VEGETARIAN / VEGAN SOFT DRINKS FORECOURTS MAY 2020 BEER / CIDER BREWING JUNE 2020 LOGISTICS, TRANSPORT, REFRIGERATION & WAREHOUSING BBQ / MEAT, FISH & POULTRY COOKING SAUCES

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO CONTRIBUTE TO ANY OF THE ABOVE ARTICLES PLEASE CONTACT EDITORIAL: RACHAEL@PLANET-MEDIA.CO.UK ADVERTISING: SARAH@PLANET-MEDIA.CO.UK

November/December Food & Drink News

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