Cottage cheese manufacturer Longley Farm has reported a 500% uplift in sales to Sainsbury’s last week after the retailer suffered a major nationwide shortage on all own-label cottage cheese lines.

On Friday, The Grocer reported Sainsbury’s was experiencing a major disruption in supply of its own-label cottage cheese lines, made by First Milk.

Longley usually supplies Longley Farm-branded natural cottage cheese to three Sainsbury’s RDCs, but last week it received two extraordinary orders from Sainsbury’s, which wanted to ensure customers could still buy cottage cheese. This resulted in Longley’s products being temporarily distributed nationally in Sainsbury’s for the first time, boosting Sainsbury’s sales by about 500%, the company said.

Longley Farm now hopes last week’s increase in business with Sainsbury’s will have put it in a good position to gain future Sainsbury’s listings. “We’re rather hoping, they might expand on the range,” said a spokesman. He added last week had shown Longley was capable of servicing a nationwide contract.

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