Clean label ingredients specialist Ulrick + Short has opened its second UK site at Leeds Valley Park in Stourton, West Yorkshire.
The new 25,000 sq ft production and warehouse facility spans two storeys and provides a dedicated space for allergen-free blending and warehousing, as well as a QC lab, sample room, development kitchen, and office space. It is conveniently located near junction 44 of the M1, on the southside of Leeds.
Ulrick + Short noted the site will help strengthen manufacturing and blending capabilities, enhance production agility, and support new development and scale-up of “increasingly sophisticated ingredient solutions for an ever-evolving European food and beverage market”.
Secured last year amidst the firm’s 25th anniversary celebrations, the facility achieved a BRC AA grade in January. In the preceding months, the company transitioned operational functions over from its UK head office in Pontefract including its supply chain, technical, and quality teams.
Three hires have made at the new site including a factory manager and production operatives, with additional roles currently being recruited to support the continued scaling up of operations.
“The opening of Leeds Valley Park represents an important step in the next chapter of Ulrick+Short,” said CEO and co-founder Adrian Short. “This investment strengthens our blending capability and enhances the resilience of our supply chain, enabling greater flexibility and capacity to support future innovation.”
“The site reflects the way we work as a business – agile, collaborative and focused on building strong partnerships. Reaching this milestone as we marked 25 years of U+S makes it particularly meaningful, recognising both our progress to date and the opportunities ahead,” added Short.
Among its existing ingredients supplied to bakery manufacturers are those that assist with egg replacement, batter viscosity, texture improvement, and gluten-free formulations. These are used in a wide range of bakery goods such as breads, bagels, crackers, muffins, sponge cakes, traybakes, brownies, and biscuits.
The newest addition to the product range is Avanté 25, a new sugar replacement solution designed for sweet bakery applications. Based on soluble corn fibre alongside wheat starch and protein, it can replace up to 30% of sugar in products whilst also boosting fibre content.
Ulrick + Short recently underwent a rebranding, switching out an ampersand for a plus sign between the names of its co-founders. Andrew Ulrick retired in 2021 after 21 years in his operations role following the company’s acquisition by Swedish investment firm Novax AB.
Parent company The Ingå Group was subsequently formed, with ingredients businesses added to its portfolio each year including Louis François, MSK Ingredients, and most recently JM Posner. The new Leeds Valley Park facility has been designed to act as a central hub for these companies. Ulrick + Short also has a European base in Rossum, the Netherlands.
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