Spoon Cereals, the London-founded porridge and granola maker, has opened its first UK manufacturing facility in Yorkshire, marking a strategic shift towards in-house production as the business looks to scale.
The company has launched an 11,000 sq ft factory at Shortwood Business Park, on the outskirts of Barnsley, which it says will create around 10 jobs over the next year. The site will allow Spoon to expand its core product range while developing new co-branded lines with regenerative oat producers, building on existing retail relationships.
The move is intended to support growth across major UK supermarkets, including Waitrose, Ocado and Morrisons, as well as strengthening oversight of quality and supply chains at a time of rising input costs and heightened scrutiny of food provenance.
The factory launch follows a £1m-plus funding round, supported by a £750,000 investment from Finance Yorkshire, the South Yorkshire investment body. The capital will be used to support manufacturing capability, recruitment and product development.
Jonny Shimmin, co-founder of Spoon Cereals, said the decision to manufacture internally had long been part of the company’s strategy. “Bringing production in-house gives us far greater control over quality, supply chain resilience and innovation,” he said. “That becomes increasingly important as we grow.”
Shimmin, who co-founded the business with Annie Morris and previously secured backing on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den, said Barnsley offered a combination of practical and strategic advantages. “The region has deep expertise in food manufacturing and strong logistics links,” he said. “Access to skilled labour was also a key factor in choosing South Yorkshire.”
Finance Yorkshire’s chief executive, Alex McWhirter, said Spoon’s expansion underlined the strength of the regional food sector. “Spoon Cereals is a fast-growing challenger brand in the UK breakfast market,” he said. “Its decision to locate manufacturing in Barnsley demonstrates both the appeal of South Yorkshire and the breadth of its food production ecosystem.”
The company said the new site would support long-term growth while anchoring more of its operations in the UK.
