Cheesemaker JS Bailey Cheese, based in Cheshire, has managed to secure a £400,000 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England. They will be spending the money on expansion of the business, directly creating 15 new jobs to develop their brand further.
Growth project underway
The council’s Skills and Growth Company is supporting the grant, which will be key to the development of the new growth project. The business has stated that they will be undertaking the £1.5 million investment by creating a new purpose-built packing and storage facility at their existing site, at a size of 1068m2.
“I am passionate about helping our rural businesses to thrive across the borough. This project will provide a very welcome new jobs boost and help us grow our expertise and reputation as the UK’s premier centre of excellence for cheese manufacturing,” said Cheshire East Council Leader Rachel Bailey, as she took part in a turf-cutting ceremony. The largely symbolic event took place to make the start of the expansion project.
With new jobs up for grabs at the site, food industry professionals should be sure to look out for jobs here. The company is clearly on the rise, and has been for a long while: it was first established in Nantwich in 1984.
John Bailey, managing director, established the company at that time. It was then a small family firm, but has grown to be a cheese supplier for the catering and foodservice industry both across the UK and on an international basis.
By the year 2000, the company had grown enough to require a move to new premises. They went to nearby Calvely, where they were able to produce a rapidly growing range of flavoured and continental cheeses.
Range of grants
John Bailey said at their turf-cutting event: “This ceremony marks the next exciting chapter in the growth of the business. We are very grateful for the support we have received from the council and the Skills and Growth Company, to help make this all possible and for helping us secure such a substantial grant.”
JS Bailey was not the only company to receive a substantial grant in recent months, and nor are they the only employer who might be looking into new recruitment processes soon. A large range of companies have seen investment as the financial year comes to an end, many of which you can read about in our previous news posts.
Other companies in the same industry are also making investments in the future. Two such examples can be found in the form of Crediton Dairy and Geary’s Bakeries.
Crediton have just announced that they are making an investment of £12 million in their milk drink plant, based in Devon. This will extend their capacity as well as increasing their capabilities, which will allow them to develop a range of functional and enriched milks. At the same time, Geary’s in Leicestershire have also invested £15 million into a new bakery facility for their site. This is part of a bid to keep up with what they say is an increased demand for their products.
With rapid growth happening all across the food and drink sector, it remains clear that some companies are not allowing the spectre of Brexit to deter them from investing in the future. Many of them seem to be defiant, deliberately forging ahead despite all of the uncertainty. The government will see this as a welcome relief, after much controversy over manufacturers such as Nissan choosing not to invest in their UK infrastructure in favour of other countries.
