Case Study
Quaker Oats
First produced in the USA in 1887, Quaker Oats became the very first
registered trade mark for a breakfast cereal and has always been a popular
choice with porridge fans. In 2001 the company became a part of PepsiCo,
the world’s second largest soft drink maker. Today Quaker sits alongside
other leading household brands including Walkers, Pepsi and Tropicana.
“The Invest in Fife team have provided an
invaluable service; acting
as a single point of
contact across several departments in Fife
Council and helping to drive forward our
business plans for
expansion and
sustainability.”
Mark Allen, General
Manager Quaker Oats
Site in Cupar, Fife
From its base in Fife, Quaker supplies porridge to the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Quaker has
been milling oats at this site since 1947 and supplies over 600 million servings of Quaker porridge to UK
consumers every year.
Originally, there were only 30 workers at the facility and oat production was predominately in winter. Today there
are 250 workers and the oat mill runs 24 hours a day, 360 days a year. This is due to an increase in the hot cereal
market, which has grown by 30% over the past two years. The UK porridge market is now worth £157 million.
Fife means business.
Quaker Oats
Case Study
Recent Announcements
Over the last ten years, Quaker has continually
invested in its site in Cupar, spending £50 million to
protect its heritage and grow the Quaker Oats
business.
In order to meet the surge in consumer demand for
porridge, Quaker invested £14.4 million in 2012 to
increase the capacity of its Quaker Oats site at
Cupar, doubling its manufacturing space. The
expansion created 30 additional jobs.
Why Fife?
The Oat mill at Cupar is a centre of excellence for milling and producing hot oat products.
Quaker is keen to protect it’s heritage at the site in Cupar and continued market growth within the hot cereal sector has led to it’s expansion
The expertise, hard work and long standing
commitment from the local workforce in Fife
How the invest in Fife team helped?
The Invest in Fife team has provided one point of
contact for Quaker Oats; bringing together officers
from across Fife Council including planning and
transportation to support the company, not only
with current plans but also with future development.
The future
Quaker will continue to focus heavily on sustainability
and has plans to develop a biomass plant at its site in
Cupar, which will burn unused husks from the oats to
create steam and electricity to run the site.
Proposed Biomass plan
Proposed grain storage plan
Fife means business.