A spike in customer demand for high volumes of sweet bakery products from the Wrights Food Group is behind a £1m investment project.
With the company’s latest forecasts predicting a 20% growth in demand for sweet bakery products from existing and new customers, the food manufacturing specialist, which supplies savoury and sweet bakery products as well as ready meals to some of the UK’s leading retail and foodservice operators, has invested in a second double drum spiral freezer to process high volumes of cookies and doughnuts while maximising existing production space.
Spiral freezers freeze high volumes while maintaining product quality, texture, moisture, and flavour throughout the process. The Wrights installation project includes extensive groundworks, a water tower extension and additional electrical and plumbing works.
Group Operations Director Neville Carruthers said: “Our three-year plan assumes a significant increase in production of sweet bakery products following new contract wins and increasing orders from current customers. Investment in an additional freezer gives us the space to more than double our capacity ensuring we meet the demands of foodservice, hospitality and retail customers.”
The last two years has seen a period of significant change for Wrights Food Group which saw a 20% increase in retail sales and the introduction of food to go sub brands including vending operation Urban Bistro and commercial food delivery service Wrights Bites alongside the addition of its onsite Sheaf Street bakery.
The resurgence in foodservice, hospitality and continued retail sales has seen further growth across all trade channels and as a recent addition to the Compleat Food Group, Wrights leadership team continues to develop and implement its strategic plan for the next stage of business expansion.
Commercial Director Helen Bowyer added: “This is an immensely exciting time as we embrace the benefits of being part of a larger group while building on almost a century of Wright’s quality food production across our multiple site business which – as demonstrated with our latest investment – has the capacity to accommodate growth, innovate and move quickly on customer briefs.”
The Wrights Food Group operates with a team of 600 across two sites in Crewe and includes 15 North West high street stores. It produces sweet bakery and more than three million savoury products per week for the foodservice, bakery and the retail sectors.
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