The move has doubled the third generation family-run firm’s facilities, after relocating from its previous 25,000m2 site in Harrogate. It will help the business to increase its output to more than 1M eggs a day.
Chippindale Foods’ md, Nick Chippindale, said the move followed a “hugely successful year”, in which the firm’s latest brand of eggs – ‘Free Rangers’ – secured a number of national supermarket listings, including Morrisons and the Co-operative Food Group.
“This has been a hugely successful year and with demand for our free range-eggs continuing to grow, the relocation to our new purpose-built site in Flaxby will offer us the additional space we need. It also provides room for further expansion as we secure new contracts,” Chippindale added.
The investment
The investment includes a specialist egg grading machine, a larger and improved temperature controlled packing environment, a quality assurance testing area, a custom-built demonstration kitchen, meeting and training rooms, office space and an improved logistics area.
Chippindale added: “In addition to offering an enhanced facility that will allow us to further streamline our operations, our new location close to the A1 also allows us to reduce delivery times.”
The investment forms part of the company’s strategy to increase turnover by 50% over the next three years and grow its workforce.
The company, established in 1930, currently employs 40 people and has a turnover of more than £12M a year.
No longer linked to salmonella
Meanwhile, a report published last month by the British Nutritional Foundation confirmed that eggs were no longer linked to mass outbreaks of salmonella or heart disease.
The report, ‘Eggs – establishing the nutritional benefits’, identified changing hen feeding practices as having led to eggs now containing 20% less fat, more than 20% less saturated fat and around 13% fewer calories.
Eggs also now contain more than 70% more vitamin D as well as double the amount of selenium than when last analysed in the 1980s, and are recognised as a significant source of choline and omega-3 fatty acids, according to the report.
Andrew Joret, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council, said: “A lot has changed in 25 years. It is fantastic news that diet and health experts now fully recognise the important role eggs can play in a healthy diet and that their consumption should be encouraged and not limited.”
Earlier this year, the British Egg Industry Council’s chief executive Mark Williams told FoodManufacture.co.uk that a new version of the British Lion Code of Practice would prevent food and drink manufacturers becoming the victim of food fraud and improve food safety and traceability in the UK.