The investment will fund a factory extension, designed to boost season production, 2 Sisters said.
2 Sisters md Keith Packer said: “We’ve seen strong year-on-year growth in seasonal puddings, and this will provide us with a launch pad to drive further sales, and build on the wealth of knowledge and experience that already resides on the site.”
‘Drive further sales’
Matthew Walker currently has 120 workers at its factory, which opened in 1967. It’s festive pudding production began in a smaller factory in Derby, 118 years ago.
The site general manager of Matthew Walker, Anil Ahir, said: “We’re all very excited about the plans to expand and it will create new jobs in the local community as well as allow us to grow and innovate our business.
“You might not be able to teach an old dog new tricks, but you can’t say the same about the world’s oldest Christmas pudding maker.”
‘The world’s oldest Christmas pudding maker’
As well as making classic Christmas puddings, Matthew Walker also manufactures alcohol and nut-free, gluten-free and Guinness branded puddings. It also makes a variety of sponges, including chocolate and syrup sponges.
In 2015, Matthew Walker began producing its gluten-free sponge puddings. It subsequently struck a deal with Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado to stock the sponges.
Meanwhile, 2 Sisters’ Matthew Walker investment was the latest in a number of recent cash injections by the food giant. Earlier this month, 2 Sisters invested £10M in its Rogerstone, south Wales prepared meals facility. It also revealed this month that it had invested £27.5M in its south-west operations’ supply chain last year.
Matthew Walker investment – at a glance
- £250,000 investment
- 45 jobs created
- Seasonal production boosted
- Factory extended