IN BIZ MK APRIL MAY 2021.qxp_A4 size 24/03/2021 10:15 Page 18
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: MANUFACTURING
PLANT-BASED FOOD COMPANY INVESTS IN NEW £5M FACILITY Gosh! Food has announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Milton Keynes – much earlier than planned. The plant-based food brand’s £5m investment into a second manufacturing facility has come to fruition this month, with production lines now running, just five months after commencing the building work. The 17,000 square foot facility, located in Milton Keynes and next door to the current site, was actually due to open in late 2021. It will create up to 15 new jobs in the local area and has the potential to double current production
capacity. This will allow Gosh! to continue to meet current demand and expand into new and exciting categories. David Blagg, operations director at Gosh! Food said: “This is a great opportunity, not only to continue to grow Gosh!, but to offer new jobs to the Milton Keynes area and invest behind our current employees. “A project like this requires a strong team behind it and our Gosh! employees and suppliers demonstrated an outstanding work ethic and in the hardest of
circumstances, with the challenges that Covid-19 has brought about. “I am pleased to say that we were able to work with a number of local contractors during the build phase and have developed strong commercial relationships that will continue beyond this project.” The new facility has been built in keeping with the brand’s ethos, so all products will be plant-based, made from only natural ingredients
and the site is free-from all allergens. Gosh! are also committed to reducing their environmental footprint and the new site has been developed with this in mind; it has energy saving LED lighting throughout, a gas free hot water supply and the machinery has the highest energy efficiency ratings available. Like the current site, zero waste will go to landfill and food waste will be used to produce renewable energy.
‘WE WERE ABLE TO WORK WITH A NUMBER OF LOCAL CONTRACTORS’
The new Gosh! Food facility will create up to 15 new jobs
RIOT LABS CREATES JOBS IN MILTON KEYNES Innovative UK e-liquid manufacturer Riot Labs has opened a new production facility in Milton Keynes. The vaping industry leader has created 15 new jobs with the 11,000 square feet modern factory, which boasts ISO Grade 7 cleanrooms along with three new state-ofthe-art production lines, increasing the company’s capacity to ship to 85 countries worldwide as well as continue to supply all of its partners in the UK. Disruptors in the vaping industry, Riot Labs have recently won seven coveted awards, including Best UK Brand, at the Ecigclick Vape Awards 2020. Votes were made by consumers, bolstering Riot Squad’s success. Riot Labs CEO Ben Johnson said: “The response we’ve had from consumers in the UK and worldwide has been tremendous, we’re hitting the nail on the head with our product offering. There’s lots more to come – we’re constantly innovating and responding to consumers’ wishes and throwing in some of our own groundbreaking ideas too! The new production facility is exactly what we needed to boost capacity and grow even bigger!” 18 inbusiness APRIL/MAY 2021
