The dairy firm is investing £17M in the site, which will be commissioned in autumn 2012.
A spokesman for Müller told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “There will be around 100 jobs created over the coming year at Muller’s Market Drayton site to cope with general business expansion. This includes around 20 new roles at the butter plant, which will be located within existing buildings at the site.”
Müller claimed the plant will have a 10t churn, which will give it the largest capacity in the UK. the company has traditionally focused on yogurt.
‘Increasing consumption’
It will be able to handle all of the 90,000t of the cream produced by the Müller Wiseman group in the UK and will produce up to 45,000t of butter.
The company spokesman told FoodManufacture.co.uk the investment was fuelled by increasing consumption of its products.
He said: “The main focus of the Müller site at Market Drayton is yogurt production and the company’s products – which include Müller Corner, Müllerlight and Müllerlight Greek – are enjoying strong growth.”
Farmer recruitment drive
Announcing the news at the Semex dairy industry conference in Glasgow last week (January 14), Müller UK & Ireland ceo Ronald Kers said there would be a farmer recruitment drive to secure additional milk volumes.
The news has been welcomed by politicians and representatives of the farming industry in Shropshire.
Environment secretary and Shropshire MP Owen Paterson told the Shropshire Star: “This is tremendous news, it will mean that the Market Drayton plant will be secure.”