Factory Manager Euan Horman welcomed John Stevenson, Member of Parliament for Carlisle, to the Nestlé Coffee Factory in Dalston on 3 February. This visit provided Mr Stevenson with a tour of the factory to meet with the current employees and new apprentices as well as see where recent investment in new technologies at the centre of excellence for frothy coffee has been made.
The MP was guided around the factory by the site leader, Euan Horman, who was appointed in October 2022, and was introduced to Emma Keltie, Manufacturing Excellence Manager at Nestlé Dalston and a number of the factory’s apprentices.
Mr Stevenson was able to talk with the Dalston apprentices and hear about their experiences just ahead of National Apprenticeship Week.
The Dalston factory employs more than 300 people, including 18 apprentices currently. Nestlé UK and Ireland typically employs 180-200 apprentices across the business at any given time, and recruitment dates usually aim for a September start.
In Dalston, the apprentices work within manufacturing operations, which means engineering and manufacturing apprentices are trained at this site. These apprenticeships are usually Level 3 (Advanced Apprenticeship). Nestlé Dalston is currently recruiting for manufacturing apprentices. The closing date for this application is 19 February 2023.
The visit also provided Mr Stevenson with the opportunity to see first-hand how the Dalston factory has benefitted from more than £70 million pounds worth of investment over the last ten years, including machinery upgrades on the filling lines and in the packing hall that improve the factory’s output and efficiency. These investments have presented the local manufacturing team with an opportunity to retrain and upskill, as well as introduce more advanced opportunities for manufacturing apprentices and graduates.
Factory Manager, Euan Horman said: “It was an honour to showcase our factory to Mr Stevenson once again. This was a great opportunity to show our local MP a proud and thriving workforce within the heart of his constituency. The visit allowed us to demonstrate the advancement of our site and discuss policy priorities. Furthermore, the chance to introduce Mr Stevenson directly to our team of valued apprentices was deeply appreciated by all.”
The Dalston factory is a Centre for Excellence for foaming mixes for Nestlé worldwide, and home to some of Nestlé and Starbucks best loved coffee products that people use at home, including the Nescafé Gold Frothy Coffee, Nescafé Latte and Nescafé Azera Cappuccino, as well as the Starbucks Toffee Nut Latte.
Whilst on the tour, Mr Stevenson also heard about the Dalston factory’s work with dairy farmers in Cumbria, who supply the local, high-quality fresh milk that goes into Nestlé’s frothy coffee products.
Through Nestlé’s Milk Plan and partnership with First Milk, a British farmer owned dairy co-operative, farmers receive a ’sustainability bonus’ for taking practical measures that protect and enhance natural assets on their land. This includes optimising soil and fertiliser use to offset carbon in the supply chain and increasing the biodiversity of farmland. Nestlé has been working with First Milk since 2010, and the partnership is designed to improve yields, improve animal welfare, and enhance and protect the local environment.
MP John Stevenson said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Nestle factory at Dalston. It was great to have a tour of the factory and hear about the positive affect the investment in technology and machinery has had on the staff and the running of the factory. I also thoroughly enjoyed meeting the staff and apprentices and hearing about their experience of working in the factory and the apprenticeship courses.”
To read similar articles, check out our People & Skills channel.
