Fifth-generation family food business Eric Lyons has expanded its operations with the launch of a dedicated production facility at The Oakland Food Park in Redditch, creating the additional capacity needed to support the next phase of its growth.

Established in 1903, Eric Lyons is one of the UK’s leading online butchers, supplying premium meat and fine foods nationwide from its Solihull base.

The company has taken occupancy of an ultra-modern 5,000 sq. ft production unit, giving it increased production capacity and greater operational flexibility as customer demand continues to grow. The move allows Eric Lyons to separate manufacturing from its retail operations, building production capability while keeping its shops free to focus on serving customers.

It also demonstrates how Oakland’s integrated Food Park model is helping food manufacturers accelerate expansion through access to specialist infrastructure, operational expertise and supply chain support.

As part of the Oakland ecosystem is rapid access to integrated chilled, frozen and ambient storage, distribution and wider supply chain services, enabling food businesses to scale efficiently as their operational requirements evolve.

Dan Lyons, Head of Production at Eric Lyons, said: “Our food has always been made by hand and to order, and that is not going to change. What has changed is the scale we are being asked to make it at.

“The Redditch facility gives us a purpose-built home for production, with the room to develop new products properly and the storage and distribution capability sitting right alongside us. It means we can take on the growth in front of us without ever compromising on how the food is made.”

Nick Lyons, Head of Retail at Eric Lyons, said: “Separating production from retail is one of the most important steps this business has taken in recent years. Our shops can now concentrate fully on our customers, the counters and the service they come to us for, while production has the space and the equipment it needs to keep up with demand.

“We are a family business in our fifth generation and our name is on the door, so every decision comes back to quality. This one gives us the capacity to grow our retail and online business while protecting exactly what our customers expect from us.”

Managing Director of the Food Park model Lee Whiting said: “Eric Lyons is a perfect example of why we are developing the Green Clover Food Park model.

“You have a highly successful, long-established food business that wants to grow. What it needs is not simply four walls and a roof, it needs the right production environment, infrastructure, food-sector knowledge, storage capability, logistics and the flexibility to expand.

“Our objective is to bring those elements together so the food producer can concentrate on what it does best, making great food, developing its brand and serving its customers.”

Lee added: “From serious discussions through to moving into the facility has taken around three months. That ability to move at pace is important, because too often food businesses with rapid growth opportunities are constrained by property, infrastructure, energy or capital requirements.

Oakland International is a multi-award-winning, family-owned specialist in multi-temperature supply chain solutions across the UK and Ireland.