Cheesemaker Joseph Heler has expanded its Eatlean low-fat, high-protein cheese operation by opening a first standalone HQ for the brand at its Cheshire home.
The opening of a new base for the brand follows the appointment of a new management team over the past 12 months and comes on the back of a 60% increase in value sales over the same period.
The brand now has a dedicated team of seven, which will double over the next six months as it seeks to grow sales both in the UK and in Europe, following the opening of fulfilment sites in Spain and the Netherlands over the past year.
Eatlean’s flagship cheese boasts half the calories of traditional cheddar and is now available across Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado, as well as directly online.
“We have a bold ambition for Eatlean and our new headquarters are an important marker in our vision for the company’s growth,” said founder and Joseph Heler MD George Heler.
“In Eatlean, we believe we have a special proposition by helping consumers to make small changes that can have a significant impact on their health and wellbeing. We have invested, and will continue to do so, in marketing to engage more consumers and to ensure we make Eatlean products available wherever they shop and eat.”
Over the next 12 to 18 months, the brand would continue to invest in marketing campaigns, product development, and in “growing our team, as well as expanding coverage across key European markets through retail and e-commerce”, he added.
“Additionally we are working closely with the foodservice industry, highlighting the benefits of Eatlean cheese nutritionals within finished products, driving our principle that through small changes, positive steps can be made on health and wellbeing.”
The new Eatlean offices also include a product development kitchen. Heler added: “The headquarters provide a fantastic platform to showcase our products in application to our key customers.”
It comes as the wider Joseph Heler business is recruiting 60 new roles in the run-up to the Christmas peak. The Nantwich-based supplier already employs more than 200 staff, having increased its headcount from 166 over the past 18 months.
The new recruits will work across production, across a variety of permanent and fixed-term opportunities in roles covering cheesemaking, packing, grating, waxing and blending.
Joseph Heler saw sales for the year ending 30 September 2020 rise by £633,906 to £72.5m, according to accounts posted at Companies House. Pre-tax profits rose by 14.9% to £3.6m.
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