The Meadow Cheese Company has unveiled a new state-of-the-art food development centre on its existing production site in Ledbury.
The facility was officially opened on 30 April by Bill Wiggin, MP for North Herefordshire, who is local to the market town.
Fully integrated, this new development centre offers a multipurpose and impressive kitchen area, equipped for a modern chef. Also incorporated are pilot plant services which provide the essential transition between bench top development and commercial production, allowing cost-effective trials of new products and formulations.
Both warm and welcoming, the kitchen will display, and offer tastings, of a wide range of existing and newly developed food extensions to both staff and customer alike. Development manager Jon Rawlings said, "The food industry never stands still; therefore it is imperative that our business continues to research, analyse and anticipate evolving food manufacturing and consumption trends."
The objective is to develop new product innovations and widen the Meadow Cheese product portfolio. New product development is a vital part of the company’s growth plan to expand into new and emerging markets. Over the last year the Meadow Cheese focus has been to create a wider range of value added dairy products which will require greater sophistication in their development and production. The company already produces a comprehensive range of grated cheese including individually quick frozen (IQF), cheese sauces, analogue, processed cheeses, pizza cheeses and dairy desserts.
The development team at Meadow Cheese works with a customer base from within the UK manufacturing, foodservice and retail sectors to create bespoke dairy solutions to satisfy and exceed customer expectations. This team’s expertise has also found favour internationally, with a growing proportion of production exported throughout Europe.
