Mars Food & Nutrition celebrates 60 years in King's Lynn with James Wild MP
Home to the evolution and innovation of the Mars Food and Nutrition portfolio throughout six decades, this year marks the 60th Anniversary of Mars Food & Nutrition’s factory in King’s Lynn.
King’s Lynn is today known for being a Ready to Heat rice factory, producing Ben’s Original and Dolmio products for the UK and 14 export markets, but throughout its history has been the engine behind a vast variety of products and brands, with a diverse historical portfolio, a history of innovation and thousands of Mars Associates past and present to its name.
This month sees Mars Food and Nutrition celebrate this milestone in King’s Lynn, as they welcome James Wild, MP for North West Norfolk, to the factory for a private visit. The current 150 Mars Associates working in the factory have been part of the celebrations, with events held on site, a party at (insert location) and an unveiling of a plaque & painting painted by Mars’ very own King’s Lynn Associate Ben East to commemorate the anniversary.
Originally known as Dornay Foods, production started in King’s Lynn in 1963, with the manufacturing of ‘Chipples’, a vacuum dried fried potato stick. The factory soon expanded to enable the manufacture of Instant Mash Potato under the Yeoman brand. The portfolio expanded in 1975, with a successful launch of a range of canned meats under the Yeoman name, leading to the opening of a new state of the art meat plant in in 1978.
The mid-1980’s saw new technologies added to the site with the introduction of Ben’s Frozen Rice and Savoury Rice. A frozen ready meal plant was commissioned in 1986 manufacturing ‘Tyne Brand Main Meals’, and in 1986 a pasta plant was added manufacturing pasta under what we now know well as the Dolmio brand. Following this, stir-in pasta sauces were introduced in 1996 with a technology that the Dolmio & Ben’s Original brands continue to use today.
For the period between 1999 and 2003, the factory underwent a period of great change, with the removal of the mashed potato and frozen ready meal lines and the introduction of pouch technology which now underpins Mars Food and Nutrition’s success. Over the past 10 years, Mars Food & Nutrition has invested over £50m into the site, on new production lines, factory facilities and the office space.
The factory includes a living roof which provides water absorption, increased insulation, climate cooling and habitat for local wildlife, and blinds that automatically open & close at sunrise and sunset to protect nocturnal wildlife from light pollution. The King’s Lynn factory sends zero waste to landfill, in line with wider Mars Inc. purpose commitments, and one hundred percent of the electricity it uses comes from renewable sources.
James Wild MP commented:
“It was a pleasure to visit Mars’ factory and celebrate their 60th anniversary of high quality food production and commitment as a major employer creating skilled opportunities in King’s Lynn. Given the significant investment in production and factory facilities, it was encouraging to learn more about the strong focus on innovation and sustainability”.
Pavel Gopienko, Plant Director at King’s Lynn Factory, commented on the landmark:
“It has been fantastic to celebrate this historic milestone with our Mars Food and Nutrition Associates, who work hard every day to produce high quality products and make King’s Lynn a great place to work. I want to thank every single one of them for their work, energy & commitment, which brings our portfolio of products to people across the country and has made brands like Ben’s Original and Dolmio key household names.”
