FOOD FIRM CREATES 20 NEW ROLES

One of Scotland’s largest food ingredient manufacturers is on the hunt for new staff at its newly refurbished factory following soaring demand for its products.

Macphie’s Tannochside facility, which restarted full scale production last year after a £4m refit and layout change, initially created more than 40 new job roles in the area. Now, Macphie Ltd is looking for a further 20 staff members to join its production team.

As well as providing a timely boost to the local job market, the increase in numbers at the 25,000 sq ft North Lanarkshire site follows rising demand for its ice cream inclusions from one of the world’s leading dessert businesses.

Andy Stapley (pictured above), Chief Executive of Macphie, said: “The improved capacity at Tannochside has allowed us to secure major new listings with current customers, as well as brand new ones. That increase in demand has led to a fantastic opportunity for us, which is to expand our workforce and continue to thrive in this excelling industry.

These appointments will arrive at a crucial point in our evolution at Tannochside and we’re delighted to welcome new faces to the Macphie family as we continue to increase our client base and add to our ever-growing product portfolio.”

The site marks the firm’s biggest ever investment programme since the factory was first acquired by Macphie in 2000 – a move made in response to the forced closure of many of its customer’s businesses.

Tannochside’s reopening came at a significant time in the Scottish food and drink industry. Scotland’s only McVitie’s factory in Tollcross ceased production in September last year with 500 of its staff being made redundant.

Andy added: “The investment into Tannochside has already enabled us to create and fill 40 job roles in a part of the country that has experienced a number of permanent factory closures.

The 20 additional roles that we have now been able to create highlight the success we have been experiencing – and this is only just the start. Our rapidly climbing rates of production after upping our capacity at the factory indicates that we will continue to grow over the next year and that will hopefully allow us to create new jobs in a broad range of positions.”

Macphie’s Tannochside facility will be adding new lines over the coming months as part of the firm’s major business growth plans. Macphie is an internationally renowned ingredients manufacturer that was established in 1928 and now employs more than 250 people across its three sites.

The firm has grown from its roots as a craft baker into an ingredients manufacturer supplying global food brands, household name businesses and the wholesale sector.

Its vision is to be the go-to partner for food brands around the world, turning ideas and creativity into practical solutions. That and its “simply clever” strapline reflect its passion in making life easier for chefs and bakers.

Sustainability has been a key element to the fourth-generation family firm. It was among Scotland’s first businesses to achieve B Corp status in 2015, having successfully evidenced an unwaveringly high standard of social and environmental performance.