Fairfield Farm Crisps invests to expand production

The agreement will see Fabcon provide the manufacturer with a variety of frying, weighing, seasoning and packaging systems for its facility in the Colne Valley, near Colchester.

Fairfield owner and md Robert Strathern said that the company’s production and packaging facility now had a 21^st century upgrade with improvements to its seasoning and packaging systems.

21^st century upgrade

“We set the Fabcon team a tight timescale so the installation did not impact our production. Fabcon’s attention to detail and bespoke designs have been first-class and we are delighted with the result,” added Strathern.

“Importantly, we have a new-found flexibility in our production line, as it allows us to season and package different flavours at the same time but, uniquely, on the same line and on any machine. That interchangeability is vital as we bring new lines to market and satisfy demand as our product range expands.”

Fairfield Farm grows its own crisping potatoes, which are hand cooked on site. Earlier this year, the company was awarded an A grade accreditation from the British Retail Consortium.

It exports to about 20 countries including Mauritius, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Russia, Dubai, Germany, Norway, North America and Canada.

‘Developed a tremendous brand’

Trevor Howard, md of Fabcon Food Systems, said: “The team at Fairfield Farm Crisps have developed a tremendous brand in the past few years, which has meant an expansion to their production facilities.

“Working with Fairfield allowed us to showcase the impact our processing equipment can have on quality, speed and packaging within the food sector. They now have a light maintenance facility which has helped make their production far more flexible, effective and efficient.

Meanwhile, Leicestershire-based Geary’s Bakery has received £4.5M in investment from NatWest to support the construction and fit-out of a new, larger factory.