Cake decoration and ingredients company Orchard Valley Foods has today opened a new 42,000sq ft distribution hub in Herefordshire.

The new hub in Leominster will serve the company’s 700 customers in the UK and abroad, and supply its packaging operation in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire.

The space has almost 4,000 pallet rack spaces, and a temperature control facility.

Managing director Mike Forrester said: “We are pleased to secure these high-quality premises in a good location, which allows us to consolidate our external storage. We’re pleased that we will be creating three new jobs in Leominster, but that will increase as we make full use of Clinton Road. Some of the products we handle are temperature-sensitive, so we’ve invested in a temperature control facility.”

Warehouse supervisor Paul Cook, who was recruited to head up the new site, added: “We’ve been able to transfer across all the best practice that the warehouse team have been employing at the Tenbury Wells site, such as allergen control, and the FIFO (first in first out) method of pick and pack. 

“I aim to keep the operation simple, operating a daily back hauling shunt, and use technology such as our SAP IT software system to make improvements to areas such as finished goods locations.”

Orchard Valley Foods was founded in 2004 by Mike and Jackie Forrester, before being joined by Cherry Blumberg. For the financial year ending 31 May the company’s turnover was over £22m.