The scent of fresh sauces has been wafting out of Griffith Laboratories in Somercotes, Derbyshire, since the company invested in a culinary-inspired new product development project.

The 18-month programme involved improving the supply chain and storage so that Griffith could use fresh and frozen ingredients such as butter, cheese, meat, stocks, herbs, fruit and vegetables in recipes for sauces, gravies and dips.

The firm's in-house development chefs tailor sauces to each customer's needs, while the research and development team make sure that quality is maintained when manufacturing on an industrial scale. "Our extended capabilities mean we can offer our customers in both retail and foodservice markets a much improved and wider range of bespoke ready-to-use sauces, gravies and dip sauces," says Griffith's Dr Phil Stroud, European category manager for seasonings. "These products are truly inspired by the chef's kitchen and incorporate fresh, natural and authentic ingredients to create more sophisticated and natural tastes, textures and appearances. I am very excited about the prospects of working with our customers to create new sauces that their consumers will love."

The number of industrial packaging formats available has also been increased. An automated sauce bottling line is now in place to provide the foodservice market with 1-2.5kg plastic bottles. Pillow packs suitable for the foodservice and retail markets are also available in addition to the sachet and pail packaging options.