Alpro is looking to double output at its Kettering factory to 150 million litres a year by the end of 2015 after investing £18.5m in a new building and equipment.
The company said an increase in sales of its drinks range and plant-based yoghurt alternatives had prompted the investment in the site, which will also see 30 new jobs created during the next 18 months and the promise of up to 15 more in subsequent years.
The company has launched six new drink lines since January 2012, including its Almond and Hazelnut Original drinks.
Producing these drinks in Kettering was central to Alpro’s plans to increase production, said plant director Metin Fevzi-Hunt.
He added that production of coconut, rice and oat drinks would eventually be shifted to the site from other facilities, while the company was also investing £12.5m at its factory in Wevelgem, Belgium.
The company was also looking to develop new flavours at the site, while new equipment included filling lines, carton packers, robot palletisers, plus new sterilising equipment, holding tanks and formulation vessels, it said.
“The investment here at Kettering is due to the continued success of our new range, and will give us the capacity to produce these new flavours and future new products as close to market as possible,” said Fevzi-Hunt
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