Dairy giant Arla officially opens giant new cheese warehouse in Whitchurch
Dairy giant Arla has officially opened a huge new warehouse in Shropshire for maturing and storing cheese.
The farmer-owned dairy company, and the UK's biggest cheese manufacturer, has opened the site in Whitchurch alongside county logistics company Grocontinental.
Cheeses from Taw Valley, Llandyrnog and Lockerbie will go to the purpose-built facility in Whitchurch, before being moved to the nearby packing plant in Oswestry to be despatched to retailers.
Previously the cheeses were stored and matured at a number of locations but now the process is managed by a sole supplier.
At the start of 2016, Arla signed a long-term contract with Grocontinental to build and manage the facilities following the dairy company's extensive review of its current suppliers.
The new 32,000 pallet chilled store was officially opened by Michiel de Jonge, senior vice president of Arla Global Logistics and Ray Grocott, chairman of Grocontinental.
Ian Brown vice president of Arla Foods UK Logistics, said: "Arla has committed to grow its UK business by nearly a third by 2020, as part of the company's global strategy for growth and to position Arla as the champion of British dairy.
"The decision to consolidate the maturation facilities from three of our creameries into one fantastic facility reflects how we are investing for the future to ensure quality, competitiveness and economies of scale."
