New £25M rapeseed plant to create 30 jobs

The factory in Atherstone-on-Sour will be operational by autumn this year, according to owner RCMA Group, and is planned to produce 40,000t of refined edible rapeseed oil a year.  

It will be the first large-scale rapeseed plant to be built in the UK since the 1980s, claimed the company.

The factory will process 100% UK-grown seed to meet growing demand from UK food buyers for a fully traceable supply chain and high quality ingredients for the food industry, according to RCMA.

‘Milestone in UK oilseed processing’

Chairman Doug King called the new factory a “milestone in UK oilseed processing”.

“Not only are we adding the first brand-new large-scale rapeseed processing facility in the UK since the 1980s; we have commissioned a highly sustainable approach to processing, reflecting our commitment to a more environmentally-friendly industry.”

RCMA’s new factory would be able to generate its own internal energy requirements from a biomass-fuelled combined heat and power plant, fuelled by UK forestry residues and offcuts.

The business is also located near an established grain store, reducing the distance needed to transport raw materials to the factory.

Team of industry experts

RCMA ceo Chris Pardey assembled a team of industry experts to support the new rapeseed business.

“This is a fantastic team for the RCMA Group,” said Pardey. “It brings a huge amount of global experience to the Stratford project, coupled with really strong local market and product knowledge which will deliver exceptional value to our customers.”

Founded more than 230 years ago as a corn trading company, RCMA has grown into a global commodities trading and supply chain group.

The group is active in the polymer, cotton, sugar, coffee, vegetable oils, energy and electricity retailing markets and ship more than 1.2Mt of goods worldwide a year.