ManiLife to open £1m peanut butter factory

Set to open in the first quarter of 2025, the new 13,500 sq ft site will have the capacity to support the business’s growth in the UK and internationally in both the retail and foodservice sectors, while its Midlands location will enable more efficient distribution around the country.

ManiLife said the factory has been designed specifically to deliver its ‘small-batch’ style produce as scale. The space will be able to store up to six billion peanuts, enough to fill 15 million jars of peanut butter.

‘Significant step’

Jonny Bullivant, managing director at ManiLife, commented: “ManiLife is currently the UK’s fastest growing peanut butter brand, and this new facility is a significant step in our journey as we gear up for further growth. ​

“The facility has been designed to enable our small batch production, which is crucial, as it’s what makes our nut butters so premium and delicious and why our consumers love it.”   ​

ManiLife’s investment into a new factory followed a successful year for the business, which saw its launch its Almond Butter in UK retail and secure a nationwide listing in Tesco for a range of products.

Fastest growing

According to recent Nielsen data, ManiLife is the fastest growing peanut butter brand, up 54.74% in value in the past year.

In other factory investment news, food manufacturer Kellanova has announced plans to invest £75m into its cereal production facility in Wrexham, North Wales.​​

Billed as the company’s largest single investment in British cereal production in more than 30 years, the upgrade will see annual cereal production more than double as brands such as Corn Flakes and Crunchy Nut transition across from the closing Trafford Park factory.

Meanwhile, UK cereal bar brand Boka Food has taken manufacturing in-house, building a facility in Hampshire, UK.​ ​The £2m, 12,000 sq. ft manufacturing site in Winchester will see it taking control of the whole production process for its cereal bars.