Award-winning soft drinks manufacturer Radnor Hills has unveiled a multi-million-pound investment, including a new Tetra Pak line.
It is the first Tetra Pak speed portion pack line to be installed in the UK with the latest technology upgrade.
It was officially opened by Deputy First Minister of Wales with responsibility for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies during a visit to the company’s headquarters in Knighton, Powys.
The £5 million investment will allow Radnor Hills, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, to increase its overall carton capacity by 150%, from 60 million to 150 million packs annually.
As well as helping to deliver more than 20 new jobs, the new line will enable the independent and family-owned business to meet the consumer demand for this format and to expand into markets including the NHS, schools and travel sector.
Huw Irranca-Davies said: “I’m delighted to officially open this state-of-the-art production line, which demonstrates Welsh innovation at its best – a family business that has grown from local roots to become a UK leader whilst staying true to its Welsh heritage and our exceptional natural resources.
“This investment shows how our successful Welsh businesses can boost our economy, grow our skills and jobs, and benefit our local communities too.”
Radnor Hills is one of the UK’s leading soft drinks manufacturers and all its drinks are made using the exceptionally pure Welsh spring water sourced from its boreholes just minutes from its production site in Knighton, Powys.
As well as still and sparkling Radnor Spring Water, the company makes Heartsease Farm, its range of award-winning sparkling presses, Radnor Splash, which sells at the rate of three units every second, and a range of school compliant drinks.
The new filling machine is a Tetra Pak A3 Speed 0500 running a Tetra Prisma Aseptic 200ml carton with straw. It has a capacity of 24,000 cartons an hour giving an annual capacity of 90 million cartons.
William Watkins, CEO and founder of Radnor Hills, said: “Our first Tetra Pak line was opened by the Duke of Kent in 2018 and it’s due to the success of the ranges from these lines that we’re now able to expand further, and to provide more customers with the best Welsh soft drinks.
“In addition to the new line, we have also made significant investment in the infrastructure of our site including extended warehousing capacity, a new canning line box packer and a new ERP system. We are also making continued investment in automation around the site.
“It’s a very exciting time for the business and I’m incredibly proud of our people, who are vital to our continued success and our growth.”
Chris Sanders, Sales and Marketing Director of Radnor Hills, said: “Our Tetra Pak sales have been growing year on year for us and this new line will make us one of the most versatile soft drinks manufacturing sites in Europe.
“It will help us continue growth in the schools and foodservice sector while also giving us the ability to look at developing new export markets and the travel sector as well as potential innovation for the healthcare sector, hotel industry, prison service and new channels like Convenience.
“Our customers love the ergonomic pack format, which makes it very easy to hold.
“We’ve also got new products in development with the format including a very exciting partnership which we launched with a national retailer this month.
“Our Radnor Fruits Disney Stitch range is packaged in lunch box ready Tetra Pak cartons made with a pull tab technology and it’s now available online and in-store across the UK at Morrisons.
“We’ll also be launching Radnor Hydrate early next year to drive further innovation in schools and the leisure sector.”
Katrin Andersson, Tetra Pak’s Managing Director for North Europe, said:
“We are delighted to continue our strong relationship and near decade long collaboration with Radnor Hills with the completion of the Tetra Pak A3 Speed line.
“Radnor Hills are a key partner for Tetra Pak and their strong brand presence and focus on innovation make them an ideal collaborator on pioneering projects such as this. We look forward to working very closely together to continue our mutual growth.”
