Plans for a £10m new cheesemaking campus for Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses have been approved by Preston City Council.
The “state of the art” ‘farmhouse campus’ at the cheesemaker’s HQ at Inglewhite, Lancashire will replace its previous office and packing site in Longridge, which was destroyed by fire in November 2023.
The new site will allow the Blacksticks brand owner to increase capacity to pre-fire levels. It has been operating at 60% since the fire from temporary buildings.
The facility will include buildings for cheesemaking, a new maturation shed, an area for product development and new offices – all interlinked by pathways and grounded in agriculture and the surrounding environment, Butlers said.
The build – which will bring the company’s operations onto one site, reducing food miles by 40% – was “inspired by the land and a melting pot for innovation and ideas,” said fourth-generation owner Matthew Hall.
“We couldn’t be happier to have the green light and get this project off the ground,” he added.
Read more: How Matthew Hall raised Butlers from the ashes
“Since the fire ripped through our business, we’ve moved mountains to ensure continuity for our staff, customers and community. It was particularly heartening for the council to acknowledge the resilience and farming grit we have displayed over the last year or so, as well as the role we play in generating a wide range of skilful, meaningful jobs both now and in future.”
Hall applauded the “incredible, ongoing support from our loyal customers”. But operating entirely from Butlers’ dairy building, where all of Longridge’s operations had been moved to in the wake of the fire, had “not been without challenges”.
What it had done, however, was “ignite our desire to nurture our cheese from beginning to end on the farm”, he said.
“Cheesemaking is at the very heart of our business. We are now in a position to build a leading maturation space that meets the specific requirements of our farmhouse cheese and get us back to our pre-fire sales, where we are currently operating at 60% due to space limitations.”
Butlers had enlisted a number of local Lancashire suppliers for the build. Stone from Longridge quarry and rubble recycled from the old Longridge site will also be incorporated.
“Our community has been with us every step of the way, so it was very important to us to keep the build as local as possible,” Hall added.
“This milestone marks the next chapter in our 93-year history. Our new cheesemaking campus will be one of the most advanced farmhouse operations in the UK, serving our business, customers, and community for the next 100 years.”
Work on the campus is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
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