Müller to invest £17m in Market Drayton butter facility
Müller UK is to invest £17m in a new butter facility at its Market Drayton site.
The company’s chief executive for the UK and Ireland, Ronald Kers, told a dairy conference in Glasgow that the new plant in north Shropshire, would be commissioned in the autumn, and have a manufacturing capacity of 45,000 tonnes of butter, utilising up to 90,000 tonnes of cream a year.
Müller, which a year ago acquired Robert Wiseman liquid milk business, sees investment in butter production as a means of providing a hedge against volatility in the cream market.
The butter will be sold as a branded product in the UK, with the scope for export. The UK has a £1bn trade deficit in dairy products, importing 102,000 tonnes of butter a year but exporting 37,000 tonnes.
Kers said the investment in the Market Drayton site, together with the recent takeover of a business producing added-value desserts, would help Müller Wiseman maintain its position at the top of the milk price league.
