Grahams to receive £1.4m from Scottish Government

WELL-KNOWN Scottish milk buyer, Graham’s The Family Dairy, has received £1.4m from the Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation (FPMC) grant scheme, according to figures released by the Scottish Government.

That is part of more than £10m being invested to to improve supplychain efficiency, increase production and run feasibility studies in food and drink businesses across Scotland. A total of 33 businesses will receive grants ranging from £16,000 to £1.4m.

Projects include capacity building for a dairy farm to meet the growing demand for its soft cheese, setting up of a new venison processing operation and installation of solar panels at a butcher premises to reduce carbon footprint and minimise electricity costs. They include:

Award £1,400,331 – This project involves the purchase of equipment across the company’s Glenfield and Airthrey Kerse dairies, to increase consumer demand for milk and soft cheese.

Awarded £620,070 – The soft fruit processor received the grant for construction of a new fruit storage, packing and defrosting facility. The new building will also include laboratory space and staff welfare facilities.

Awarded £908,426 – To invest in plant and equipment for consumer rapeseed oil production.

Awarded £883,774 – To upgrade processing capacity and efficiency.

Awarded £740,077 – This involves the construction of a new packing/fulfilment/ storage/dispatch building, which will enhance overall efficiency and free up space in the main packing building to allow for additional throughput and facilitate increased production.

Awarded £1,126,085 – This small grain processor is expanding its existing barley conditioning and lab testing capability. It wants increased energy efficiency with a fully insulated drying facility alongside the expansion of the existing lab. They are also upgrading a weighbridge system and input/output holding facility at Tyrie Mains Farm.

Awarded £829,003 – Construction of a new technically advanced barley testing and conditioning (drying) facility. The new facility includes a laboratory, weighbridge, dust extraction systems, and a range of new technically advanced equipment, eg, germination assay equipment, scales, desktop oven, etc.

Awarded £63,163 – Project includes a number of improvements to dairy facilities including a larger cheese vat, ice builder and pasteurising plant

Awarded £165,570 – This potato grower is upgrading the packaging line with highly automated grading and packaging equipment. This includes a new grading line to ensure consistent size and removal of damaged product.

Awarded £74,892 – The project involves the purchase and installation of new plant, and the upgrade and development of a three-room flat adjoining the applicant’s butcher premises to provide space for the preparation and par-cooking/roasting of vegetables, and installation of solar panels.

Awarded £72,386 – This Pittenweem company is changing its former coffee shop to extend its cheesemaking capability and the coffee shop kitchen will be converted into a cutting and packing area and a new maturation area will be constructed adjacent to it

Awarded £387,399 – The project involves investment in purpose-built grading and storage facilities which will increase capacity and efficiency.

Awarded £143,527 – To significantly expand oat milk production by creating a new production facility. Costs include production plant, a chill room and joinery/electrical work.

Awarded £65,185 – For the construction of a building and purchase of pasteurisation equipment for milk processing and dairy products

Awarded £27,565 – For developing its own in house processing facility to enable increased control of processes, stock and cost, whilst also reducing the carbon footprint of its operations.

Awarded £271,733 – The applicant is a potato grower and the project involves the construction of a new pack house and installation of new packing equipment including a technically advanced pack line and multi-head weigher.

Awarded £32,157 – This project involves the purchase and installation of plant and equipment designed to improve the speed and efficiency of vertical processing at the applicant’s indoor fruit and vegetable growing facility.

Awarded £260,096 – This organic family farm in south Aberdeenshire is seeking to replace an underutilised building within the farm with an organically certified butchering and processing facility, to add value to organic Scottish venison.

Awarded £82,679 – A potato and cereal grower hoping to replace some of its existing refrigeration units, install a multi-head weigher, conveyors and robotic palletising system to improve packaging of potatoes.

Awarded £294,991 – This family arable unit is setting up a new potato grading and washing facility with onsite optical sorting. The company is seeking a specific, advanced optical sorting technology that can sort for quality, skin finish and colour, which has not historically been possible on unwashed potatoes.

Awarded £355,564 – This if for the conversion of an existing farm shed into a new processing dairy at Mossgiel Organic Farm.

Awarded £56,640 – Involving the purchase and installation of plant and machinery at a manufacturing facility to make ‘free from’ and vegan food products, intending to increase capacity to enable increased production volumes of specialist baked goods free of gluten, wheat, milk and lactose

Awarded £43,026 – To set up a venison processing operation and establish a reliable local supply chain for deer culled on the island each year. The project will kit out a commercial shed with the equipment required to process and deliver venison locally.

Awarded £99,250 – This project involves the construction of a milk processing facility and purchase and installation of associated dairy processing equipment.

Awarded £119,776 – To invest in additional grading/ packaging and storage facilities for increased volume of eggs produced and processed.

Awarded £207,553 – Seeking to double its output by expanding the current egg packing facilities, creating a new loading dock and installing new automated equipment for egg transfer and grading.

Awarded £72,712 – To allow this dairy farm to build processing and storage for milk to be sold onsite.

Awarded £65,037 – This potato business is building a professional office/training facility that will support its strategy of meeting the exacting requirements of final retail packers.

Awarded £319,694 – For the purchase and installation of two optical sizing and quality grader machines that will operate on two lines at the company’s fresh potato processing facility.

Awarded £232,011 – The grain storage and marketing co-operative is developing and upgrading its cleaning, drying and dressing equipment to improve grain processing.

Awarded £33,920 – This start-up dairy farming business is purchasing and installing a milk processing facility at a farm shop, Blacketyside, to sell milk directly to the public.