Food firm Clarks UK has doubled the size of its operating base in Wales as part of a £500,000 expansion programme to cater for surging sales increases of up to 60 per cent in the last 12 months.

The company – founded as the recent recession was just starting to bite – has taken over the unit next to its headquarters in Newport, providing it with 12,000 sq ft of production, warehousing and office space all under one roof.

The expansion has doubled the capacity of the business, the largest manufacturer and producer of maple syrup in the UK, giving it the potential to supply more than 10 million bottles a year to the big four supermarket chains, the catering, hotel and restaurant industries, as well as a rapidly-growing European export market.

Four production lines could eventually operate simultaneously at the Clarks UK plant on the Queensway Meadow Industrial Estate in Newport, and the expansion has also included the creation of a self-contained chef’s kitchen where Clarks products can be showcased to potential new customers.

Company founder and managing director Bob Clark said: “This has been a major investment and provides us with the opportunity to triple the size of the business and capture new markets both at home in the UK and abroad.

“The expansion has meant we have been able to employ another five people, including three in production, and has given us the security and strength to not only survive the recent recession, but to grow and expand the brand and build consumer loyalty.

“Our Clarks Pure Maple Syrup sales are up 60 per cent year-on-year, while the honey line has grown by 21 per cent. Turnover at the plant has soared by almost 300 per cent in the last three years and the new investment will allow us to target an annual turnover figure of around £15m in the next five years.”

More than 30,000 bottles of pure and blended Clarks Maple Syrup and honey roll off the production line each day at Clarks, with the business supplying all the big four supermarket groups of Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons.

Hotels, restaurants, cafes, schools and hospitals, as well as bread, cake, meat and other food manufacturers across the UK are also supplied with maple syrup, honey and other products from Clarks, whose turnover has soared by more than 280% in just three years.

Bob said:“We are currently producing more than two million bottles of blended maple syrup each year as well as 450,000 bottles of pure maple syrup, and every week we seem to be winning new orders both here in the UK and overseas.

“But the key to future success will be our ability to create new products and expand the brand to make the most of the consumer loyalty we have built up.

About 20 per cent of the £500,000 investment came in the form of a Welsh Government grant, secured with the help of Newport-based accountancy specialists Kilsby & Williams, whose senior partner, Simon Tee, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside Clarks in what is a hugely exciting time for them.

“We were able to source growth funds for them so the business could expand and increase its profitability at the same time.

“This particular project had all the ingredients for a successful grant claim with capital investment, job creation and a great track record. It is also very satisfying to be helping a local business that is making national headlines.”