The dairy cooperative issued a statement on 22 January 2024 announcing that it would be “undertaking a strategic operational review” of the facility. During the review process, the business will be exploring the market for any potential buyers.
The Arla Melton Mowbray Creamery UK, also known locally as Tuxford & Tebbutt, currently employs 60 members of staff and will remain operational while the review takes place, with no impact to production, customers or employees.
Arla expects to be able to provide an update on the review by April of this year.
Explaining the decision to place the site in review, Arla vice president of production Fran Ball said: “Over the last few years, the speciality cheese market in the UK, which includes stilton, has continued to decline, and as a farmer owned cooperative, we are therefore looking at what this means for our business so we can continue to return a fair price back to our 2,000 UK farmer owners.
“Here at Arla Foods, we are proud of the heritage that we have from our creameries across the UK. We are privileged to employ some of the finest cheese makers in the country, which includes those at our Arla Melton Mowbray Creamery UK.”
Referencing the concern that the announcement may cause among Arla staff working at the Melton Mowbray creamery, Ball added: “At Arla we are committed to supporting all colleagues through periods of change and we understand that today’s announcement will bring a sense of uncertainty for those who work at Melton Mowbray and those who work directly with the site team.
“We’d [also] like to reassure shoppers that there will be no impact to the supply of our products, during this review period.”
Arla is a global dairy cooperative owned by around 8,492 farmers, of whom approximately 2,050 are based in the UK.
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