50 new Fife Creamery jobs

Businesses are today forging ahead with "beyond Level 0" plans after Fiest Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the move to lift restrictions from next week.

Firms across a range of sectors including hospitality and events are preparing for a bounceback, with the organiser of TRNSMT already saying he has approval to hold the festival later this year, with 50,000 people on Glasgow Green in September without social distancing or face masks.

Also this morning, 50 jobs are to be created at family-run Fife Creamery as it hails a £1.65 million funding package from Royal Bank of Scotland to enable an extensive expansion into frozen food services.

Graeme Roy, professor of economics at the University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School, hits home the need for a concerted global economic push to help the world out of Covid, pointing out: "In many low-income countries, less than 1% has received one (vaccine) dose."

He raises questions over the scaling back of the UK Government foreign aid budget.

Also today, drinks giant Diageo has revealed plans to build a solar energy farm at a Scottish bottling plant.

Jobs to be created at Scottish food business

FIFE Creamery, a supplier of chilled foods, has hailed a £1.65 million bank funding package to enable an extensive expansion into frozen food services.

The family-run business, headquartered in Kirkcaldy, said it “has led the way” in delivering chilled foods for more than 60 years to customers all across Scotland, from independent sandwich bars and local convenience stores to government institutions and large store chains.

Now with significant Royal Bank of Scotland funding Fife Creamery has constructed a state-of-the-art frozen cold store – with the capacity to fit up to 1,000 pallets – which has allowed the firm to expand into the frozen foods market and attract a new customer base.

With a team of more than 100 staff, Fife Creamery has already noted an increase in its turnover and hopes to grow its headcount by up to 50 over the next three years in response to growing customer demand.

The funding has also enabled the business to upgrade its refrigeration equipment and provided financial confidence throughout lockdown periods as business dipped due to ongoing closures of hospitality premises.

Graeme Simpson, managing director at Fife Creamery, said: “Since 1957, Fife Creamery has led the way in delivering high-quality goods to some of Scotland’s most-loved retailers and foodservice providers.

“We are proud to support businesses and institutions the length and breadth of Scotland, and the ability to now expand our services and portfolio to new and existing customers has been warmly welcomed, with our turnover projected to increase by 30% over the next six months.”

“Although the last 18 months have been challenging for obvious reasons, the funding and support from Royal Bank of Scotland provided us with financial security and we’re grateful to the team for always being on hand to give trusted advice.”

Ken Anderson, relationship director at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: “Graeme and his team are incredibly passionate about the firm, which is why they have built such a buoyant network of customers across Scotland. We’re really pleased to see Fife Creamery embark on a new chapter as it continues to provide a first-class service and look forward to continuing our relationship with the team.”

Drinks giant reveals plans to build solar energy farm at Fife bottling plant

The Leven site

SCOTCH whisky giant Diageo has unveiled plans to build a solar energy farm at its massive packaging plant in Leven, Fife.

READ MORE: The Johnnie Walker, Bell’s and Gordon’s maker has submitted proposals to Fife Council for permission to install 12,000 solar panels at the site, which produces 40 million cases of spirits per year. The panels, which the distiller is aiming to install on vacant land at the 150-acre site, would be capable of producing four mega-watts of electricity.

Graeme Roy: Nations must work together to foster a global Covid recovery

Graeme Roy, professor of economics at the University of Glasgow’s Adam Smith Business School (Image: Newsquest)

OPINION: It is interesting how sentiment on the economy can quickly turn from one extreme to another. Just a few months ago, the talk was of a UK economy in the doldrums, with a long road to recovery.

READ MORE: Unemployment was forecast to rise to over 10 per cent and many were predicting that the Bank of England might embark on negative interest rates for the first time in its history. Today, the talk in some quarters is of inflation and parts of the economy at risk of overheating.

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