UK: Nestle to upgrade coffee factory

Nestle, the leading food and drinks business, is investing £28 million ($37 million) in its Dalston factory in Cumbria to expand production capacity and modernise operations for its “frothy-coffee” range.

The upgrade comprises a new £17.5 million ($23 million) four-storey mixing plant plus two high-tech packing lines worth £10.7 million. The packing lines are capable of producing up to 60,000 sachets of frothy coffee per hour, and the new facilities will use MONO PP laminate to deliver fully recyclable packaging as part of Nestles sustainability drive.

According to Nestle, the mixing plant will reduce manual lifting by 80% by handling ingredients in larger bags.

Richard Watson, CEO of Nestle UK & Ireland, commented: “The Dalston investment is a prime example of how we’re investing in the future of the British food and drink industry — modernising our operations and supporting local jobs, driving growth opportunities and being more sustainable”.

The Dalston site, operating since 1962, is recognised within Nestle as a global Centre of Excellence for its Nescafe Frothy Coffee production, manufacturing brands such as NescafeCappuccino, Latte, Coffee Mate and Starbucks-branded latte mixes for the UK and export markets.

This latest investment builds on previous upgrades: over the past decade Dalston has received more than £70 million ($92 million) in improvements to expand capacity and modernise its filling and packing halls.

Source: Nestle / Food Manufacture / FoodBev