Turnover up but less profit to cream off

Mackie’s of Scotland, the largest independentlyowned ice cream maker in the UK, has seen turnover hit almost £21 million.

The family-owned business, which also makes chocolate, has increased its workforce to more than 100 for the first time.

But profits for the Aberdeenshire company fell by more than 20% due to the soaring price of ingredients, including cream.

The 15% increase in turnover from £17.7m in the 2021 financial year has been generated through an upsurge in UK and international markets.

Mackie’s sold more than 13.3m litres of ice cream over the period, increasing its share of the UK premium ice cream market by 13%, while export sales grew by 27%.

Chocolate sales were up 33% – a result of years of heavy reinvestment into the business’s sustainability, machinery and people, improving its efficiency and capacity.

The company saw its overall costs increase by 23% over the financial year. Rather than passing this cost on to consumers, Mackie’s absorbed as much of these rising costs as possible.

This move was rewarded with more customers, resulting in an 11% increase in Mackie’s penetration, which is a measure of how many households in the UK buy a product.

Managing director Stuart Common said: “We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the hard work and dedication of our incredible team, Mackie’s has reached this turnover milestone.

“Despite the challenges of rising costs and supply chain issues, our staff have gone above and beyond to continue producing Scotland’s favourite premium ice cream to the highest standards.

“This landmark achievement reflects the progress Mackie’s has made over the years and we look forward to achieving even greater success in the years to come.”

Backing up its ice cream sales, the company saw a 30% increase in its renewable savings and revenue, with 70% of the business’s power generated renewably on site by solar panels, wind turbines and biomass boilers.

Looking ahead, Stuart added: “We are looking to invest to further increase our production capacity to widen the availability of our products across the UK.

“We plan to install new equipment and production lines while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and quality.

Chairman Mac Mackie has said: “As a proudly Scottish family business, we remain dedicated to our Aberdeenshire home here on the family farm, while also being determined to continue to provide moments of joy to our customers across the world through our ice cream and chocolate.”

The company won a host of plaudits last year including Great Taste awards for its newest and oldest flavours, toffee fudge and traditional, and sustainability awards at four events, including the Scottish Food and Drink Excellence Awards.

Mackie’s is one of the UK’s top ice cream brands, with its one litre traditional tub among the best-selling premium ice cream products in the UK.

Mackie’s produces all its ice cream using fresh milk and cream on its fifthgeneration family dairy farm, Westertown, near Inverurie.

COOL: Stuart Common, managing director of Mackie’s, is ‘thrilled’ by the results.