Cargill’s Manchester wheat plant reaches one million tonne milestone

Cargill is celebrating a milestone after processing one million tonnes of wheat at its Manchester plant. This achievement follows a £75 million investment to convert the plant from processing imported maize to domestic wheat in 2008. Since then the plant has become the hub for Cargill’s UK food ingredients business, employing more than 300 people.

Officially opened in April last year, the plant processes wheat sourced exclusively from UK farmers to produce sweeteners for the food and beverage industry, proteins and texturizers for the bakery sector, glucose for the pharmaceutical sector and feedstock for the dairy industry. It has proven to be a strategically sound investment for the business, as the plant’s general manager, Martin Douglas, explains. "We’re absolutely delighted to have reached this significant milestone. It is a great reflection of all the hard work put in since the plant opened as well as everything that went on behind the scenes to make it operational."

"The plant’s success is excellent news for both us and our customers, despite the challenges faced by the rising commodity prices – including the price of wheat – at the time of its opening. As we process locally grown wheat, the plant has proved to be a very competitive source of sweeteners to a variety of industries. Equally, it is providing a valuable outlet for wheat farmers in the UK, in the process helping to reduce the exportable surplus."

Wheat remains the most widely grown cereal crop in the UK, and Cargill’s ability to source this locally, rather than importing maize from other parts of Europe – as was done previously – is now reaping rewards on a number of levels. Not only is it more cost effective, it keeps the carbon footprint as low as possible by reducing the number of food miles and also supports local farmers. All of the wheat processed at the plant is sourced by Frontier Agriculture, a joint venture formed by Cargill and Associated British Foods (ABF), with the by-products of the production process delivered back to the farmers for use in animal feed, rich in fibre.

The site is one of a network of plants that make up Cargill’s sweeteners and starches operations in Europe, supplying ingredients to a variety of customers in the food, drink, feed, paper, cardboard, corrugation and pharmaceuticals sectors.