Crisp maker Mackie’s at Taypack to double factory size and add more flavours after surge in sales

A Scottish crisps and snack brand is to ramp up production in 2022 including doubling the size of its factory following a year of “sustained growth”.

Mackie’s at Taypack - which makes crisps, popcorn and health snacks – is now making more than half a million packs per week and recorded 23,299,554 packs sold for the full year, as demand surges.

The business is based at the Taylor farm in Errol, Perthshire and was formed in 2009 as a standalone joint venture with Mackie’s of Scotland, the famous Aberdeenshire ice cream and chocolate producer.

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Bosses are now pressing on with ambitious plans to double the size of the factory - due to complete later this year - which will allow the firm to expand production of key lines and to push for further store listings and supply contracts.

Mackie’s at Taypack, based at the Taylor farm in Errol, Perthshire, makes crisps, popcorn and health snacks.Mackie’s at Taypack, based at the Taylor farm in Errol, Perthshire, makes crisps, popcorn and health snacks.
Mackie’s at Taypack, based at the Taylor farm in Errol, Perthshire, makes crisps, popcorn and health snacks.

However, the business has also warned of increasing costs amid inflationary pressures and the challenges of taking on new workers.

James Taylor, managing director at Mackie’s at Taypack, said: “Our customers have turned to something they love and a small treat they can enjoy in moderation.

“This hasn’t stopped them trying something a bit different and we’ve taken risks - with multiple launches across seasonal and world-first flavours providing a lot of excitement.

“The performance of the business over the last few years is a true reflection of our exceptional team. Our biggest challenges reflect the wider recruitment and supply crises - and we will be working hard to ensure neither become barriers to continued growth of the scale we’ve been able to deliver.”

Taylor runs the family-owned business alongside his father, chairman George Taylor. It employs a team of 64.

Last year marked the brand’s biggest ever for new product development, with half a dozen key launches taking place during 2021.

Boxing Day curry crisps amassed 230,000 unit sales in the run up to Christmas, with sticky toffee pudding popcorn adding in excess of 160,000. Festive packs were up 47 per cent on the previous year, totalling some £2.25 million, with sales during this time across the grocery and “impulse” buy categories up by 40 per cent.

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As well as growth with supermarket and convenience listings, the firm is hailing the revival of the foodservice industry, covering everything from bars and cafes to trains and planes.

National wholesale account manager, Mel Hack, said: “It’s been really exciting so see our presence within the UK impulse channel grow over the past 12 months.

“It’s evident there has been a huge demand from our consumers for Mackie’s crisps to be more widely available within this channel by the fantastic rate of sale and strong growth we have seen.

“We have some very exciting channel specific plans this year which will enable our impulse customers to drive incremental profitable growth through our large range of crisps, popcorn and healthy snacks.”

In July, ice cream brand Mackie’s of Scotland announced that it had secured an expansion of its deal with Marks & Spencer, covering more than 500 stores across the UK.

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