Ryvita crispbread growth drives factory makeover
The major change, which follows the investment of an undisclosed sum, is the addition of 280m2 of space to the plant, including the conversion of a loading bay to a food preparation area.
The area incorporates a new engineered floor and wash-down facilities and would help to grow its Ryvita Crispbread range, claimed Chalcroft Construction, which was enlisted to handle the project.
Changes also included dismantling the building’s façade and creating a new cladded frontage, Chalcroft said.
The Jordans & Ryvita Company is owned by Associated British Foods, which also owns Allied Bakeries, AB Sugar (formerly British Sugar) and Patak’s.
The development builds on last year’s growth of Ryvita’s crispbread range, which includes variants such as Cracked Black Pepper, Hint of Chilli and Fruit Crunch.
‘Important role’
“The work completed during this conversion project will play an important role in further improving The Jordans & Ryvita Company’s food preparation operation,” said Ed Getley, contracts manager at Chalcroft Construction.
“Chalcroft has worked closely with Jordans & Ryvita, taking care to ensure the work will provide the most effective facilities. I am very pleased to see the project successfully completed on schedule.”
Multi-million pound investment
The investment follows a multi-million pound expansion of Ryvita production announced in 2010, which involved establishing an extra 4,000m2 of production space next to existing Poole facilities, initially creating 38 new jobs.
The project was part of the transfer of production from Ryvita’s factory in Stockport in the wake of the merger of cereals business Jordans with healthy snacks business Ryvita in 2008.
According to Nielsen ScanTrack figures published in the Top Products Survey 2013 for The Grocer magazine, a sister title to FoodManufacture.co.uk, Ryvita crispbread sales grew by 3.8% to £42.3M in the 52 weeks to October 12, 2013.
In addition to crispbreads, the firm also makes Ryvita Crackerbreads; Ryvita Crackers; Ryvita Thins; Ryvita Thins and Ryvita Minis bagged snacks; and Ryvita Fine Rustic Bakes. Recent innovations have included cheese and pepper variants in its Crackerbreads range, which were announced last summer.
