A new, state-of-the-art frozen cold store has been installed at Fife Creamery

Fife Creamery will construct a frozen cold store at its Kirkcaldy HQ

Chilled foods supplier Fife Creamery is expanding into frozen food services after securing £1.65m in funding.

The family-run business – which supplies a broad range of dairy, meat, fresh produce and ambient goods to clients including independent sandwich bars, local convenience stores, government institutions and large store chains – is using the finance package from Royal Bank of Scotland to construct a frozen cold store at its Kirkcaldy headquarters.

The 1,000 pallet-capacity facility is enabling the firm to move into the frozen market and attract a new customer base, it said.

Fife Creamery – which has delivered chilled foods to customers in Scotland for more than 60 years – will also use the funding to increase its head count. The ambition is for the current 100 staff to be joined by up to 50 new colleagues over the next three years.

The funding has also enabled the business to upgrade its refrigeration equipment and “provided financial confidence throughout lockdown periods as business dipped due to ongoing closures of hospitality premises” the Royal Bank of Scotland said.

“We are proud to support businesses and institutions the length and breadth of Scotland, and the ability to now expand our services and portfolio to new and existing customers has been warmly welcomed, with our turnover projected to increase by 30% over the next six months,” said Graeme Simpson, MD at Fife Creamery.

In 2019, Fife Creamery launched a training centre at its Kirkcaldy base, designed to enhance the skills of its clients and suppliers, locally and nationally. There are plans underway to expand the centre over the coming months.

“Graeme and his team are incredibly passionate about the firm, which is why they have built such a buoyant network of customers across Scotland. We’re really pleased to see Fife Creamery embark on a new chapter,” said Ken Anderson, relationship director at Royal Bank of Scotland.