The drinks firm has unveiled a new £250,000 beetroot press at its factory at Whites Fruit Farm on the back of an impressive year of growth for the business – in 2024, the maker of the Beet It brand reported 47% growth and more than £5m in retails sales value.
Installation of the new press will support the production of more than million litres of organic beetroot juice on the site each year.
Defying market decline
Commenting on the success of the brand, managing director Lawrence Mallinson said: “Beet It continues to defy the decline seen in the wider juice category, as increasingly health-conscious consumers buy into a brand that is built on actual medical research and not some faddy health claims.”
Beet It has been at the heart of research into the benefits of beetroot juice on a range of conditions, including high blood pressure, and has supplied more than 300 studies since research into the area started in 2008.
Word of the brand’s involvement in these studies prompted Dr Michael Mosely to visit the James White factory back in 2023, during the filming of Channel 4’s ’Michael Mosley: Secrets of the Big Shop’ television programme.
Commitment to the UK
“Our investment in the site, shows our commitment to pressing in the UK and our support for Organic farming across East Anglia,” Mallinson added.
James White Drinks have recently launched an extension to their Beet It Organic Shot range which is now available in three flavours: Beet It Organic; Beet It Organic with Ginger; Beet It Organic with Turmeric.
Meanwhile, in other investment news, Arla Foods has begun work on a new £179 million mozzarella plant at its Taw Valley Creamery in Devon.
The investment into the plant was described by Arla as ‘one of its biggest ever’ in the UK and would enable to dairy co-op to produce Mozzarella in Devon as early as 2027.