North Wales ingredients supplier Middledale Foods has announced a three-year investment programme worth £600,000 after recording its strongest financial performance since the business was established.
The Chirk-based company reported turnover of £31.2 million in FY25, its highest figure in its 30-year history. It plans to reinvest £600,000 over the next three years in technology, systems, infrastructure, quality management, customer service and staff development.
The investment is being funded through retained profit and is intended to provide the infrastructure needed for the company’s next stage of growth.
Record financial performance
Middledale Foods’ latest results represent a significant increase compared with its position several years ago.
The company’s turnover has more than doubled over the three years from FY22 to FY25, while EBITDA increased by 133% over the same period.
Following that performance, Middledale has set itself a target of reaching £52 million turnover and £1.5 million EBIT by FY28.
Those figures are company targets rather than guaranteed outcomes, but they provide an indication of the scale of growth the business is planning for.
Investment in technology and systems
The £600,000 investment will cover several areas of the company’s operations.
Middledale plans to introduce an integrated platform covering areas including stock management, pricing and contracts, while also continuing investment in customer relationship management and quality systems.
For an ingredients supplier, those functions can be important to day-to-day operations.
Middledale supplies ingredients to food manufacturers, meaning the business operates within the supply chain behind finished food products rather than primarily selling directly to consumers.
The company began in 1996 as a supplier of bulk, short shelf-life dairy ingredients and has subsequently expanded its portfolio to include dairy, egg, plant-based and functional ingredients.
Plans for people and premises
The expansion programme also includes investment in employees.
Middledale expects to create opportunities in areas including customer service, marketing, sales and business development, while continuing to develop its existing workforce.
The company is also considering options for expanding its headquarters in Chirk.
At present, that physical expansion remains under consideration, while investment in technology, systems and people forms part of the confirmed three-year programme.
The distinction is important because the £600,000 investment should not be interpreted as confirmation that a new or expanded facility will definitely be constructed.
A business further up the food chain
Middledale’s business illustrates an often less visible part of the food industry.
Consumers tend to encounter finished products and the brands attached to them, but ingredients suppliers operate further up the chain, providing food manufacturers with the materials required to make those products.
Middledale’s growth therefore provides an individual example of activity within the wider Welsh food manufacturing supply chain, although its results should not be taken as representative of the entire sector.
For the company itself, the immediate priority is to ensure that its systems, workforce and infrastructure are capable of supporting its next phase of expansion.
Looking towards 2028
The £600,000 programme is therefore more than a single capital investment. It is a combination of technology, systems, workforce development and infrastructure intended to support the company’s longer-term objectives.
Middledale has already recorded its highest turnover in its history. Its next challenge will be translating that momentum into sustainable growth while maintaining the service and operational standards required by its food-manufacturing customers.
The FY28 targets provide a clear measure against which that progress can eventually be assessed.
Sources
Middledale Foods — Investing in Our Next Phase of Growth
IN Food — Middledale Foods commits £600,000 to expansion
Food Manufacture — Middledale Foods reveals £600K expansion plans
Dairy Industries — Middledale Foods to expand as it reports record results
