PepsiCo invests £8 million in its Brigg factory to meet growing demand for Pipers Crisps

PepsiCo has announced an £8 million investment in its Pipers Crisps factory - boosting production at the site by nearly 80% and enabling it to meet growing demand for its premium crisps.

This coincides with the 20th anniversary of Pipers Crisps and marks five years since PepsiCo’s acquisition of the brand. In those five years, Pipers has grown to become the number one premium crisp brand in the ‘away from home’ category.

To continue driving this growth even further, the investment has four main focus areas:

• New, more efficient fryers replacing the existing fryers, helping to reduce the site’s greenhouse gas emissions by over 200 tonnes a year. This contributes to PepsiCo’s commitment to target an absolute reduction across its value chain by more than 40% by 2030, reaching net-zero emissions by 2040, and forms part of pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), its strategic end-to-end business transformation with sustainability at the heart.

• Installation of two new packaging machines, allowing it to make an extra half a million bags of Pipers Crisps per day, helping meet the growing demand from its customers.

• Upgrading facilities for the factory’s 100 local employees, including improvements to workspaces and staff changing rooms.

• Unlocking further export opportunities for its premium crisp brand, including to the Middle East, China and Japan.

Pipers is a much-loved brand with a rich heritage, and we’re delighted to be making this investment at such an exciting stage in PepsiCo’s journey.

The investment comes as Pipers Crisps continues its leadership in the UK’s premium ‘away from home’ crisp market, now accounting for a third of all sales in the segment amid rapidly increasing customer demand for its much-loved snacks.

Originally available in small independent pubs, bars, cafes and farm shops, Pipers has expanded its distribution network to include national wholesalers such as Booker, Brakes and Bidfood, alongside hospitality operators Mitchell & Butler, Stonegate and Youngs, to bring its quality crisps to people in a variety of locations.

PepsiCo has continued to invest in its UK manufacturing sites, with a total of £127 million committed in investment over the last four years, including a £58 million investment in its Leicester factory announced last year. This forms part of PepsiCo’s ongoing commitment to support the growth and success of the UK, making some of Britain’s most iconic brands – including Walkers, Doritos, Quavers, Wotsits, Monster Munch and Quaker Oats - across sites up and down the country.

"Pipers is a much-loved brand with a rich heritage, and we’re delighted to be making this investment at such an exciting stage in our journey. From small independent pubs, cafes and farm shops, to working with some of the UK’s biggest wholesalers and hospitality operators, the funding will help us bring our delicious crisps to more people, wherever they are, and expand our brand internationally. With Pipers’ 20th birthday fast approaching, I’m looking forward to the next phase of our growth,” says MIRJAM FOGARTY, head – Operations, Pepers Crisps.