Rodda’s invests in cottage cheese in UK
Credit: Rodda's
Rodda’s, a Cornwall-based family dairy producer, is investing £6 million (€6.9m) in a new, state-of-the-art cottage cheese facility at its Scorrier site. The project, which is currently entering the final commissioning phase, will see specialist cottage cheese manufacturing equipment installed alongside Rodda’s existing operations, creating up to 20 new skilled roles as the site ramps up to full production capability of 4,000 tonnes of cottage cheese per year.
Demand for high-protein, natural dairy products such as cottage cheese has accelerated in the UK, driven by changing consumer diets and interest in versatile, quality and higher-protein ingredients.
Once operational, the site will be one of only a small number of dedicated cottage cheese manufacturing facilities in the UK, underlining Rodda’s role in national dairy production and food security. Through its new manufacturing line, Rodda’s will make cottage cheese at scale for UK retailers and build on its reputation for high-quality Cornish dairy products.
Each year, the business handles around 61 million litres of milk; historically, only a small proportion of this volume (7%) has been used for its flagship clotted cream, with skimmed milk largely sold back into the commodity market. By manufacturing cottage cheese on site, Rodda’s will be able to use a greater share of surplus skimmed milk in new high-quality product SKUs.
Nicholas Rodda, managing director of Rodda’s, said, “As a fifth-generation Cornish dairy business, we’re proud to be investing in a new manufacturing capability in Scorrier and in skilled jobs for local people. It’s a business-led investment that also supports our long-term ambition to run a more efficient manufacturing business here in Cornwall, with our journey increasingly guided by circular-economy principles.
“This more efficient use of our milk intake will not only support farmgate returns, but also provide more predictable demand for farming families in the Rodda’s supply chain, and strengthen domestic food production resilience.”
The investment is part-funded with £500,000 from the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, allocated by Cornwall Council via the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Good Growth Programme.
The production of cottage cheese at the new Rodda’s facility is due to begin this summer. Operations at Rodda’s Creamery in Scorrier will continue as normal, producing market-leading clotted cream, butter and speciality milk.
