With some of the factory buildings around 100 years old, Royal Warrant holder Tiptree is requesting local support as it plans to build a new 10,000m2 factory within the small village, as an alternative to moving elsewhere in the county.
The company estimates that expansion within Tiptree will cost in excess of £15m, far more than the estimated £8m cost of buying a factory at another location in Essex, but does not wish to move elsewhere.
Wilkin & Sons will gauge local support for this development at a series of public exhibitions enabling those living in and around Tiptree to share their views, before it submits a formal planning application.
Farm director Chris Newenham told FoodManufacture.co.uk that, subject to local approval at the exhibitions, a planning application would hopefully be submitted by October 2011, with the factory itself built by around 2014.
Move a last resort
The exhibition will take place from July 14 to July 22, and joint md Ian Thurgood said: "Local support is a key factor for business expansion. “The jam factory is an integral part of village life for Tiptree and moving away would be the very last resort for us, it’s not something we want to contemplate.”
Local government officers rejected proposals in 2009 and 2010 for a factory with associated housing, but Tiptree said there is now acceptance, within the scope of a local development framework, that a new jam factory can be located on Factory Hill, just beyond existing factory buildings.
The firm said in a statement: “We would like to build a new food production unit at Tiptree; something that blends with the environment and replaces all of the existing buildings, including the large freezer store.”
Wilkin & Sons, which had a turnover of £28m in 2010, currently employs over 300 full-time staff, a 35% growth in the last five years, and the company plans to employ around 500 people by 2030.
Newenham added that Tiptree was "a wonderfully sustainable business model" and that he was delighted with the growth of the company and was "very excited about the oppurtunities ahead".