Scottish bakery gunning for international expansion
The family owned Maclean's Highland Bakery based in Moray, Scotland, has been bolstered by the £365,000 (€459,000) investment, which includes a £95,000 (€119,000) grant from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
The investment will help the firm purchase new equipment, in addition to aiding with marketing and the formulation of new products as part of a global sales drive.
The bakery said the ambitious new investment plans will allow it to keep up with a high level of demand for existing produce, in addition to developing new ranges of premium goods for both the national and international markets.
"The new machinery, brand development and trade fair attendance are all part of our growth plan which will allow the company to expand as new opportunities arise,” said Lewis Maclean, managing director of the bakery firm.
"A key element of this is increasing our export sales and developing new premium products.”
International market
The bakery already receives orders from Australia, the USA and China, but plans to focus more effort on exports to the Far East – an area with a great deal of interest in their products.
The firm regularly exhibits at international trade shows in Shanghai, Cologne and New York and is planning to visit Japan in November in a bid to further boost sales.
"This expansion in activity will put us in a great position to explore further new markets as well as introduce some new additions to our range," said Maclean.
Part of the drive will also include taking on around 15 new staff to add to its current team of 130.
Mandy Holmes, development manager at HIE, commented that the Maclean’s bakery is ‘innovative and ambitious’ in its approach to providing products to a range of customers nationally and internationally.
Speaking on the investment group’s decision to put £95,000 into the new developments she said: “Our role is to continue to help develop the company and provide quality jobs.”
“We are working closely with them looking at all aspects of their work which help them grow, from manufacturing, to product development, to marketing and distribution”
