Award-winning firm to double size of facilities after receiving grant

Award-winning ice cream firm Yummy Yorkshire is set to double the size of some of its facilities after receiving a grant.

The business has received a 50% ‘match funding’ grant equating to £55,676 from the Rural Development Programme for England, which is co-funded by Defra and the EU.

The money will be used to expand the coffee shop and ice cream parlour, doubling the number of table settings and creating an additional sales point. Building work has already begun, with the revamped facilities set to open in the spring.  

The grant will also help Yummy Yorkshire purchase new freezing equipment, to help grow both the wholesale and retail side of the business. The company plans to increase production levels by 60% over the next three years.

Yummy Yorkshire is run from their family farm in Denby Dale, a few miles from Huddersfield. Jeremy Holmes, co-founder of the firm, said: “With the Defra contribution we will be able to expand and upgrade our business, increasing the capacity of the shop as well as production levels.

“Ultimately we’ll also be able to offer additional employment. We are very excited about what the expansion means for us and our customers and are extremely grateful to Defra for making the project possible.”

Yummy Yorkshire was established in 2007 by Jeremy and Louise Holmes, who were looking to diversify from the couple's third generation dairy farm business.

Ice cream production is now at 27,500 litres a year, a 36% increase on last year’s levels. A turnover of £331,000 is predicted for 2011/12.

Well known for it’s innovative flavours such as Dandelion and Burdock, the firm recently won three awards at the National Ice Cream Competition run by the Ice Cream Alliance (ICA) and was highly commended in last year’s Food & Farming Industry Awards too.

For more information about Yummy Yorkshire, please visit their website.