New Prepared factory

14 November 2008

Branston has announced it is to build a new 2,500m² factory to produce prepared potato products at its main site, one mile outside the village of Branston (image shows an artist's impression). Total investment in the project will amount to £3.5m and it will create a substantial number of new jobs. Construction of the new factory began last month, with Branston expecting the first of its extended range of prepared potato products to be moved to the new factory in Spring 2009.

Branston is confident that its new facility and a £500,000 investment in the most advanced production equipment available will enable the company to meet the increasing demands of its retail customers. The company, which is best known for supplying fresh potatoes, diversified into prepared and convenience potato-based products in 2005 and was awarded the role of category leader of prepared products to Tesco in September this year.

We are extremely pleased to have been appointed category leader for prepared potato products," said Graeme Breattie, Managing Director at Branston. "We're building a state-of-the-art production facility which will help us fulfil Tesco's needs and play a significant part in the future development of our business. We're looking forward to its completion and recruiting additional staff as we continue to grow the business."

As an ISO 14001 accredited company, Branston is committed to the highest possible environmental standards. As such, the company's new facility will include a range of low energy, high efficiency technologies. Sun tubes will bring natural light into staff amenity areas; heat recovered from chiller units will provide hot water for hand basins; insulation levels will be far higher than those required by building regulations; the water for certain areas will be heated from a wood fuelled boiler; and the factory will draw all of its water from a new borehole next to the building.

Branston's range of prepared products, which features items such as potato croquettes, crispy potato slices, easy steam baby new potatoes and potato wedges, is currently manufactured at a smaller site in Holbeach.