Chippindale Foods has stepped up production at its Yorkshire packing centre by a million eggs a week to meet growing demand from retailers.
The family firm supplies free range locally sourced eggs to Sainsburys, Morrisons, Co-op, Booths, Aldi and Lidl from its purpose-built 55,000sq ft low carbon egg packing facility.
Managing director Nick Chippindale attributed 15% production growth in the first quarter of 2017 to increased consumer demand and a five-year programme of investment.
“In 2013 we opened our new site at Flaxby, near Harrogate, having made the bold decision to invest £5 million in a new egg packing facility to increase capacity.
“Since then we have focused heavily on quality, innovation and sustainability right across the business,” said Chippindale.
“The result is that major retailers have confidence in our capabilities and regard us as a robust player in a sustainable supply chain.”
The facility sources 50% of its electricity from solar energy generated on site and has the capacity to handle over six million eggs a week.
Recent investment in efficiency and sustainability has included £230,000 on solar panels and the replacement of the firm’s entire logistics fleet with eco-friendly vehicles.
Nick said the company was now well placed to meet increasing demand for shell eggs and locally sourced produce.
“As well as supplying free range eggs for supermarket brands we have our own regional brands in Yorkshire, Lancashire and Northumberland which are sourced from our network of local farmers,” said Chippindale.
The latest industry figures show that over 12.5 billion eggs were consumed in the UK last year and Chippindale said demand for free range eggs in particular was on the rise.
“Consumers are choosing to buy more ethical, local and high quality food products and this trend has led to a surge in demand for free range eggs,” he said.
“Added to this is a revival in the fortunes of the egg on the British menu with it being recognised for its nutritional benefits and regarded increasingly as part of a healthy balanced diet.
“By continuing to innovate and invest year on year – and actively encouraging the nation to enjoy eggs more through our social media sites – we are confident that our business will evolve with the market and enjoy further growth,” he said.