Ehrmann to make dairy lines in UK

Ehrmann, the German dairy group, is to set up local production in the UK.

The privately owned business is to embark on a £20m ($27.1m) project at the site in Cornwall it acquired last year.

In June last year, Ehrmann snapped up Trewithen Dairy, which is based in Lostwithiel in south-west England.

Since then, the German business has formed Ehrmann Cornish Dairy to run its UK operations, which also include its Ehrmann UK office in Worcestershire.

The company plans to set up a chilled-desserts facility at the Trewithen Dairy site by next year. The new unit will make Ehrmann products that are imported into the UK.

At present, Trewithen Dairy makes branded and own-label dairy products including milk, butter and cream.

Asked what impact the project would have on jobs, the company pointed to a statement that said last year’s acquisition “held over 200 jobs and the continued development of Ehrmann Cornish Dairy allows for additional roles to be created specifically within innovation and manufacturing”.

The most recent accounts filed at Companies House, the UK business register, cover the period before Ehrmann acquired Trewithen Dairy.

The Trewithen Dairy business generated a turnover of £86.2m in the 12 months to 30 April 2024, down from £95.9m a year earlier.

The company recorded an operating profit of £1.1m, versus an operating loss of £1m in the previous financial year.

It booked a net profit of £336,548, against a net loss of £1.5m in the 12 months to 30 April 2023.

In commentary alongside the results, the business said it had “continued to trade strongly… growing market share in key added-value sectors and continuing to grow volumes”.