Cheeses from Taw Valley, Llandyrnog and Lockerbie will now go to the purpose-built facility in Whitchurch. Once matured, they will be moved to Arla’s nearby cutting and packing site in Oswestry before being despatched.
Previously, the cheeses were stored and matured at a number of locations. But now the process is managed by a sole supplier.
At the start of 2016, Arla signed a long-term contract with Shropshire-based storage and distribution company, Grocontinental, to build and manage the facilities following the dairy company’s review of its existing suppliers.
32,000 pallet chilled store
The new 32,000 pallet chilled store was officially opened by Michiel de Jonge, senior vice president of Arla Global Logistics and Ray Grocott, chairman of Grocontinental. It features high-density racking, together with dedicated cheese grading facilities.
“Arla has committed to grow its UK business by nearly a third by 2020, as part of the company’s global strategy for growth and to position Arla as the champion of British dairy,” said Ian Brown, vice president Arla Foods UK Logistics.
“The decision to consolidate the maturation facilities from three of our creameries into one fantastic facility reflects how we are investing for the future to ensure quality, competitiveness and economies of scale.”