Growth achieved despite 23% rise in overall costs
SCOTLAND’S favourite ice-cream brand has recorded a 15% increase in turnover through an upsurge in UK and international markets.
Turnover at family-owned Mackie’s of Scotland rose from £17.7 million in the 2021 financial year to reach £20.8 million last financial year.
Mackie’s saw its UK market share in premium ice cream rise by 13%, while its export sales grew by 27%. This has enabled Mackie’s to expand its workforce to more than 100 employees for the first time in its history, which included the appointment of it is first People and Development Manager as well as a new Managing Director taking the helm within the last year.
Ice cream sales were the backbone of the strong revenues, Mackie’s sold more than 13.3 million litres of ice cream. It is the equivalent of filling 166,250 standard sized bathtubs, to visualise, if the bathtubs were placed end to end in a line, they would span a distance more than 300 miles long. Mackie’s also saw a 33% rise in the sales of its chocolate.
This growth has been supported by years of heavy reinvestment into the business’ sustainability, machinery and people, improving its efficiency and capacity and laying the foundations for further growth.
However, the company saw its overall costs increase by 23% over the financial year. Rather than passing on this cost to consumers, Mackie’s absorbed as much of these rising costs as possible. This move was rewarded by consumers, resulting in an 11% increase in Mackie’s penetration, which is a measure of how many households in the UK buy a product.
Managing Director of Mackie’s, Stuart Common, said: “We are thrilled to announce that thanks to the hard work and dedication of our incredible team making our delicious products, Mackie’s has reached this turnover milestone. Despite the challenges of rising costs and supply chain issues, our staff have gone above and beyond to continue producing Scotland’s favourite premium ice cream to the highest standards.
“This landmark achievement reflects the progress Mackie’s has made over the years and shows the strength of our brand and products. We’re extremely proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to achieving even greater success in the years to come.”
The brand’s second most popular Honeycomb flavour now sits alongside flagship Traditional across the UK in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and Morrisons. The company has its sights set on achieving more UK listings in the current financial year.
The brand’s newest flavour also helped strengthen its ice cream sales, with its Indulgent Toffee Fudge, proving very popular with customers following extensive consumer research before launch which showed it to be the flavour Mackie’s fans were most waiting for.
Backing up its ice cream sales, the company saw a 30% increase in its renewable savings and revenue; with 70% of the business’ power being renewably generated on site with solar panels, wind turbines, and biomass boilers.
Looking ahead, Stuart added: “We are looking to invest to further increase our production capacity in order to widen the availability of our products across the UK. We plan to install new equipment and production lines enabling us to scale up manufacturing while maintaining our commitment to sustainability and quality.
Mac Mackie, Chairman, has said that: “As a proudly Scottish family business, we remain dedicated to our Aberdeenshire home here on the family farm, while also being determined to continue to provide moments of joy to our customers across the world through our ice cream and chocolate.”
The company won a host of awards this year, including Great Taste awards for its newest and oldest flavours, Toffee Fudge and Traditional, and sustainability awards at four awards events, including the Scottish Food and Drink Excellence Awards.
As well as being the largest independently owned ice cream manufacturer in the UK, Mackie’s is one of the UK’s top ice cream brands, with its one litre Traditional tub among the best-selling premium ice cream products in the UK.
Mackie’s prides itself on being a Real Living Wage employer in line with the rates set annually by the Living Wage Foundation.
Mackie’s produces all its ice cream using fresh milk and cream on its fifth-generation family dairy farm, Westertown, near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire.
To find out more about Mackie’s of Scotland, please visit: www.mackies.co.uk
