Independent honey brand Hilltop is expanding into pie fillings and other categories, including bakery, as it looks to make a name for itself as a global food manufacturing firm.
As part of this move, it has launched Hilltop Food Group which will house the Hilltop brand and its USA counterpart Scott’s, as well as a new manufacturing footprint.
The firm has invested in its 150,000 sq ft site in Newton, Wales with new capacity added as well as the capability to do pie fillings, sauces, condiments, and peanut butter. The site, according to Hilltop, will provide a ‘comprehensive suite of services’ for own label and brands seeking contract packing and blending, as well as fulfilment and logistics solutions.
A sweet pie filling line is among the new additions to the site. Hilltop said it has the capability to make any sweet pie flavour but currently orders are for cherry, apple, blueberry, and strawberry. It can also make mincemeat, cranberry and other fillings, and is predominantly targeting the food manufacturing and foodservice industries with these products, it added.
There are four production lines in total at the site as well as two travelling ovens and four rotary ovens, a peanut butter mill, finishing room for decorations, and a high care finishing room.
At present, Hilltop has the capability to produce a myriad of bakery lines including:
- Bread – sandwich rolls, sliced bread, artisan bread, flavoured bread, functional bread, and sourdough
- Ambient confectionery – custards, tarts, gingerbreads, doughnuts, and meringues
- Chilled confectionery – cream cakes, iced buns, flans, renoirs, eclairs, muffins, and tarts
- Baked savouries – sausage rolls, pies, pasties, slices, and quiches
- Seasonal/bespoke – cakes, traybakes, and cookies.
“We’ve invested significantly in developing our state-of-the-art production facility in Wales,” said Hilltop founder Scott Davies.
“This has enabled us to extend our current capabilities to include packing, fulfilment and production of food items outside of our traditional honey and maple syrup offering. We’re now full steam ahead on sweet pie fillings, nut butters and ketchup, among other lines.”
Davies said that honey will always be central to the company’s growth strategy. “We want to grow the Hilltop name and offering but we will always remain close to our roots,” he added.
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