National soft drinks manufacturer, Clearly Drinks, was commended for its robust growth plans by Sir Keir Starmer during a visit to its Southwick factory this month.
The Labour leader visited the Sunderland site which produces drinks such as Perfectly Clear and Northumbria Spring, as part of his visit to the region on Friday 3rd November to learn more about businesses in the North East and discuss growth plans for the region.
Clearly Drinks Limited was selected for the visit due to its recent win at this year’s North East Chamber of Commerce Awards where the manufacturer won Scale Up Business of the Year 2023. The visit was then organised for Sir Keir Starmer to see the firm’s manufacturing operations and discuss its ambitious sustainability roadmap.
Sir Keir Starmer was given a tour of the factory floor by Production Manager, Tracy Mallam, where he explored the firm’s ‘source to sip’ process and gained an understanding of the intricacies of the canning production line and the hardworking, dedicated team.
The tour then concluded with a special Q&A with members of the Clearly Drinks team from all levels, allowing for open conversations on key political policy topics.
Mick Howard, CEO of Clearly Drinks Limited commented: “It was a great opportunity to welcome Sir Keir Starmer to our factory and for him to meet the Clearly Drinks team. It was a huge privilege to be recognised by the North East Chamber of Commerce for our high standards and dedication to scaling the business, which includes continued investment in our people, technology and equipment to remain agile and adaptable. We were delighted to be given the chance to discuss this with the Labour leader as well as our sustainability plans as we continue to sustain our industry-leading carbon emissions on our journey towards net zero.
“We had meaningful conversations about the UK manufacturing landscape and his commitments to supporting businesses in the North East.”
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