Due to open in early 2019, the factory will feature a hard-boiled egg line dedicated to products made for Marks & Spencer (M&S). The existing hard-boiled line, meanwhile, is to make way for new scrambled egg and egg mayonnaise lines.
Despite being the only M&S-approved liquid egg processor in England, Bumble Hole is currently unable to attain the supermarket’s Select Farm Assurance standard for hard-boiled eggs.
Up to standard
The inclusion of a secondary cooling bath for peeled eggs would bring it up to the standard, the firm said.
The investment was part of a move towards more value-added products, tailored to the foodservice and food-to-go markets, added Bumble Hole owner Andrew Hewston (pictured).
“Liquid scrambled egg will be ideal for busy foodservice kitchens, and we’re looking at creating the sort of instant egg pots you get in the likes of Starbucks,” he explained.
Increase output
Running at 20,000 eggs an hour, the new hard-boiled line could potentially produce one million eggs a week – up from the processor’s current output of 625,000 eggs, Hewston said. “We’ve definitely seen more interest in hard-boiled eggs, so I don’t think we’re going to have any trouble filling it.”
The increased focus on added value was part of a journey to Bumble Hole developing a brand of its own. “That may mean we acquire a food business,” Hewston suggested.
Bumble Hole processes up to six million eggs a week from its Bromsgrove factory.
Meanwhile, last month, Shepton Mallet-based egg manufacturer Framptons received £7m to invest in its business.
