ARLA Foods, the UK’s largest dairy co-operative, has announced it plans to invest more than £179M into Taw Valley Creamery in North Tawton. 

The announcement made today, Tuesday, March 19, means that the Devon-based creamery will receive the biggest ever investment made by Arla in the UK – creating more than 100 additional skilled jobs for the local area. 

As part of the investment proposal, Taw Valley Creamery will be updated to include state-of-the-art technology – enabling the business to be able to export mozzarella that can be used for the likes of pizza toppings around the world, in the next three years. 

Speaking about the announcement, Bas Padberg, managing director of Arla Foods UK, said: “It has been 50 years since the now King opened Taw Valley Creamery in Devon, and we’re proud to be announcing our plans to invest in this site, and bring more jobs to the local area. 

“Not only is this great news for the region, but this investment signals our desire to become a major player within the global mozzarella market.

“To do this we need to invest in new technology, which is why we want to make major upgrades and changes to Taw Valley Creamery, so we can sell our mozzarella globally, from the UK.  

“Exporting our product helps to increase the value of farmers’ milk, which will therefore benefit our farmer owners, here in the UK.

“As one of the biggest food companies in the UK, it is only natural that we look for further opportunities to grow so we can continue to return a fair price back to our farmer owners.”

Arla will be submitting planning approval to enable to the business to make changes to the creamery. If approved, work will begin immediately on-site to allow the business to export mozzarella by 2027. 

A public consultation will be held, with further details to be shared in the next month. For more information, visit: arlafoods.co.uk .