Handmade Speciality Products’ six-figure machinery investment

The investment – backed by a match-funded £150,000 grant and loan through the Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT) Duplex Investment Fund – will fund the purchase of new processing equipment to support the growth of its flapjack production.

This new machine will sheet flapjack ingredients into a set tray before workers on the line take over to finish the products by hand.

Commenting on the investment, director James Raeburn said: “The machinery investment will give us a new level of automation at the front end of our flapjack manufacturing process and is something we have wanted to do for a long time.​

Upskilling the workforce

“We have carried out a number of trials with the manufacturer and it will increase our capacity significantly when it arrives in the spring. The equipment will also enable us to upskill our workers in the factory which is positive for our long-term growth.”​

The Duplex Investment Fund provides support to businesses looking to expand by investing in capital equipment with a loan, and then a 40% grant is reimbursed once the machinery is up-and-running.

The initiative is delivered by CWRT and funded by Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council, Midlands Engine and Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

Factory additions

Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub business navigator Laura Delahunty added: “We have worked with Handmade Speciality Products on a number of projects and this addition to their factory will mean they are able to produce higher volumes, increase and upskill staff and streamline their processes,” she said. ​

“We are here to make businesses in all sectors aware of the support that is available to assist their growth and make it as easy as possible to complete the application forms.” ​

Set up in 1987 and taken over by the Raeburn family in 2009, Handmade Speciality Products produces millions of single and multi-pack muffins, cookies, flapjacks, gingerbread, traybakes and cakes each year. It has about 120 full-time employees and between 10 to 50 agency staff.

Meanwhile, The Sustainable Bottling Co has launched a new aluminium drinks bottling facility​​ near Leicester, following a £1m investment.