Hesper Farm Dairies, a firm that produces Icelandic-style Skyr yogurt from British milk in Skipton, announced that they have secured funding from a group of local investors. As a result of the deal, they will now be taking on more staff and ramping up their production.
Plans for Success
Accountancy firm Garbutt & Elliott helped the manufacturer to secure their investment. Hesper’s Managing Director, Sam Moorehouse, was quick to sing their praises. He said: “They have been integral in positioning us for the next stage in our development. We are grateful for their expertise and the new investors who have placed faith in us. The investment, and setting up an accounting system, enables us to pursue a national supermarket account. Our long-term aim is to make Hesper Farm the top British Skyr brand and to introduce other innovative dairy products.”
Their immediate plan for the funding is to start by creating six new jobs. You can keep an eye out for opportunities on our job board here. They will also make a dramatic increase in their production levels, going from just 9,000 kg produced in their first year of operations to 55,000 kg this year.
“Sam has a great natural product and the new investors are supporting an innovative UK food product with huge sales potential. We are excited to be applying our food sector experience to assist the growth of the business,” said Tony Farmer, a partner at Garbutt & Elliott.
Huge Growth Potential
Hesper Farm Dairy was first established in 2015. They currently supply their thick Skyr yogurt to the north of England, where it is stocked in 110 stores including Morrisons, Booths, and independent farm shops. It is also available from Harrods in London.
Skyr is a unique kind of product which is manufactured in a few different way to other dairy items. Hardly any machinery is used, but instead it is a labour-intensive process which lasts 24 hours. Skimmed milked is first incubated with live active cultures, and then the whey is strained away.
Each pot of Skyr uses four times as much milk as the traditional pot of yogurt, which means that it is thicker and creamer – and also packed full of calcium, which is great for growing bones.
The lead investor, founder, and chairmen of BCA Group, based in Elland, is Wim Batist. As one of the investors, he commented: “While Sam had financial help from his parents to set up, he needed a lot more to reach where he wants to be. His business has potential to become a multi-million pound operation, especially with his strict quality control.”
That will be music to the business owners’ ears. It has not yet been announced exactly what the six jobs will entail, but it is more than likely that they will be production and manufacturing roles. If you are looking to enter this kind of industry, check out our tips here for candidates who want to make their CVs stand out from the crowd.
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