The new press will enable Aspall to supply customers with an additional 3Ml of home-grown apple juice by 2018.
It was also more efficient and flexible than the two 30-year-old presses it replaced and would enable Aspall to produce three times as much juice per year, the firm claimed.
This increase in processing capacity will enable Aspall to purchase even more apples from local producers over the coming years, supporting further business growth within their supply chain.
Watch the firm’s boss Henry Chevallier Guild discuss the new press in an exclusive video for FoodManufacture.co.uk at the bottom of this page.
Jobs
The new press will create a number of new jobs at the site, Aspall said.
Aspall md Des Smith said: “The new facility will help us to create jobs going forward and enable Aspall to enter new markets with English Apple Juice, a marketplace that is currently dominated by European Juice coming into the UK.”
Aspall key facts
- Family first planted trees in Aspall in 1728
- Started making cider vinegar in 1970s
- Invested £4.3M in a new warehouse and packaging building
- Aspall is continuing to invest ahead of its 300th in 2028
Aspall said it had seen increasing demand for cider, vinegar and English apple juice.
In particular, the business highlighted an opportunity to enter new markets with English apple juice in a marketplace currently dominated by European juice imported into the UK.
Barry Chevallier Guild, chairman of Aspall said: “We are keen to build new relationships with local apple growers buying fruit from them that they might not otherwise be able to sell because it doesn’t meet the supermarket grade.
“Ultimately we aim to get more English Apple Juice on supermarket shelves.”
£150k grant
The new press and associated processing infrastructure has been a £2.2M investment including a grant of £150,000 from the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative, which provides funds to support improvements in agricultural productivity.
Mark Reeve, chairman of the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative and the Greater Cambridge Greater Peterborough LEP, said Aspall was a strong local company with an ambition to grow further and create new jobs.
“They are exactly the kind of company we want to support via grants from the Eastern Agri-Tech Growth Initiative, so I am pleased to announce that we have committed £150,000 to this new facility.”
Watch our full video interview with Henry Chevallier Guild to hear him talk about the benefits widespread investment has brought the business.