Wirral venture JPL Flavours, which provides flavourings for the food and drink industry, moves into new 75,000 sq ft factory and headquarters in an £11m-plus investment. Tony McDonough reports

Wirral food flavours specialist JPL Flavours has moved into its new 75,000 sq ft factory and headquarters in Bromborough in Wirral.

JPL has invested more than £11m in the facility and has relocated from its previous home in Neston. Employing 52 people, the business provides flavourings to makers of bakery, confectionery, dairy, savoury, sports nutrition and drinks products.

Founder and managing director Jake Lavelle says the investment has transformed the business into one of the most technologically advanced flavour houses in the UK.

AI technology is incorporated into the production process and there are 16 team labs where customers can work alongside JPL staff to create sweet, savoury, and beverage flavourings.

“We are on a mission to raise the bar for innovation in the industry, and we are so proud to do this from our new home in Bromborough,” said Jake.

“When choosing how we scaled the business, it was always important to me that this space was in the area I had grown up and it could be somewhere we could really nurture local talent and create amazing flavours from.”

In August JPL announced two new senior hires. Laura Al-Azzawe joined the firm as sales director and Oliver Henderson as head of business development.

Laura’s role will focus on the company’s customer relationships and leading the sales and marketing teams while Oliver will focus on the growth of new clients, utilising his European experience.

With 16 years’ experience in the food industry, Laura has worked across multiple food and beverage categories, with previous employers including Synergy Flavours and Univar Food Ingredients.

Oliver offers more than 14 years of experience in account management and business development with a primary focus on the food and beverage industry. He has previously worked at Givaudan, Treatt and Kalsec.

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Jake Lavelle added: “Investing in new team members is key for JPL succeeding in the long run. It is important to us that we strive for the very best in business to help us grow to our full potential.

“I am really excited about working with both Laura and Oliver and seeing how their years of experience can help us grow at JPL.”