A new suet manufacturer has set up in direct competition to industry giant Premier Foods.

Prima Foods UK is producing up to 30 tonnes of suet a week for bakers, food manufacturers and wholesalers. It supplies multiples such as Tesco, Morrisons and The Co-operative Group as well as small independent retailers.

“We opened last year, but have been up and running since January,” said MD Peter Rice. “We aim to offer an alternative to Premier’s Atora product – we’re a small business that looks after people at the right price.”

Rice said it had the capacity to produce 50 tonnes of suet a week – shredded fat coated with flour. Products include a non-hydrogenated vegetable suet with sunflower and wheat flour, a non-hydrogenated vegetable suet with rape seed and wheat four, beef suet and suet blends, including chickpea flour. New products include mixes such as herb and sweet dumplings.

Bakers are buying suet to make dumplings, suet puddings and desserts, said Rice. “With the recession still ongoing, people are going back to more home cooking and traditional, comfort food that’s filling, and suet fits the bill perfectly.”

He added: “We are price-competitive with Premier and can offer small amounts to craft bakers.”