King Charles III officially opened our new cheese campus this week - a moment that marks one of the most significant chapters in our history.
Two years in the making
Our official opening comes two years after a devastating fire destroyed our Longridge office and packing site, where hundreds of tonnes of our cheese was lost.
Throughout the rebuild, which we have documented in Our Fire Updates we haven’t missed a beat turning milk to cheese from our dairy, ensuring our customers across the UK have continued to enjoy our hard, blue and soft farmhouse cheeses.
It wouldn’t have been possible without the support of our team, farmers, suppliers, partners, customers, and our wider local community.
Technology meets tradition to protect our craft
Our new cheese campus has been designed to nurture our cheese from beginning to end on the farm - from milk and grading to maturation, cutting and packing.
The campus includes a state-of-the-art Maturation Shed, uniquely designed to meet the individual needs of our hard, blue and soft cheeses. By pairing modern technology with our traditional farmhouse cheesemaking we ensure every individual cheese, from Trotter Hill and Kidderton Ash, to Blacksticks Blue and Tunworth, matures in the most optimum conditions before reaching our customers.
A Royal visit rooted in people and place
To mark the opening of our campus, His Majesty The King met three generations of our family alongside many of our team - including some of our longest-serving employees - Head Cheese Grader, Bill Yates, who has been with us for 36 years, and Head Cheesemaker Tim Fisher, who has spent 35 years perfecting our craft.
Local suppliers also shared their role in bringing our campus vision to life, representing the many Lancashire businesses who were pivotal to our post-fire rebuild. In fact, 80% of our build has been completed by local businesses.
The King was taken through our entire cheesemaking process and heard stories from our near 100-year history, including from our original recipe book, which survived the fire. We still make our Lancashire cheese to the very same recipe that Gram did.
Sustainability
Our campus reflects our deep-rooted commitment to sustainability and doing things the right way - something The King is also very passionate about.
By operating from a single site, we aim to reduce road traffic and food miles by around 50% compared to working across two locations. We also used rubble from the fire site to create connecting paths across the campus.
The campus unlocks new training and career opportunities across cheesemaking operations and specialist roles in data science and AI.
The last two years has been focused on rebuilding - and it hasn’t been easy. We’re proud to have maintained continuity of supply for our customers and that hasn’t happened by accident. Now, we’re firmly looking ahead.
As Matthew Hall, our fourth-generation owner, said at the opening,
“This is a defining moment in our history. Rather than replacing what we lost in the fire, we have chosen to make a generational investment for the long-term. Our campus represents everything we stand for - respect for our craft, belief in the resilience of our people, and a long-term commitment to doing things the right way.”
To welcome His Majesty The King to officially open our campus is an honour we will never forget - and one we are proud to share with everyone who enjoys our cheese. With our new, industry-leading cheese campus officially open, we’re ready to unlock its full potential and emerge stronger than ever.
