Moo Free gets Queen’s Award for exports

Moo Free, which exported over half of its products to more than 30 countries, picked up the award last week.

It expanded its production capacity by opening a new facility, including warehousing, last month at Holsworthy, Devon.

Co-founder and sales and marketing director Mike Jessop said: “We wanted to locate our second factory in an area with a workforce that already had experience in the food manufacturing sector. There’s a lot of growth and money being injected in this area.​

‘​Growth and Money’​

“We’re running at capacity at out head office in Reading, making half a tonne of chocolate a day. Our new site in Devon is enabling us to make another one and a quarter tonnes a day which we need to supply new markets in America and China.”​

Moo Free makes about 200t of chocolate a year. Its turnover last year was £1.5M, of which 40% came from export sales.

It is one of more than 30 companies that had signed up to the Devon Delivers Ambassadors programme, which marked its first anniversary last year.

‘World leader’​

Devon County council cabinet member for economy and growth Andrew Leadbetter said: “As one of the world leaders in its field, it​ is exactly the sort of company that we want to attract to Devon. ​

“I’m pleased to see that locating here has helped it build its success. Moo Free is a perfect example of a growing business that has moved to Devon.”​

Moo Free makes chocolates using rice milk instead of cow’s milk, making confectionery that is free from gluten, soya, dairy and wheat.

Jessop and his wife Andrea set up the company in 2010 after two years of research into chocolate making dairy free.