Playing it cool with £1.7m investment

The firm, based in Ossett, near Wakefield, expanded its cool storage capacity by up to 70 per cent with the new 30,000 sq ft cold room, which houses a selection of its dried fruits, including dates, Middle Eastern pastries, chocolate, macadamia nuts and walnuts.

Zeina said the purchase will allow it to cut its carbon footprint, significantly extend the shelf life of goods and reduce the need to outsource supply, which has often led to waste.

The extra capacity also means the firm can monitor stock and the quality of its products more closely. Now it has the majority of its ingredients to hand and can provide samples more quickly, helping customers bring new products to market more swiftly

Earlier this year, Zeina won a 1m order with a major national retailer, although it said it could not identify the buyer for contractual reasons.

Zeina, which turned over 12m last year, supplies pistachios, dates and flavoured nuts and has been working with blue chip companies for a quarter of a century.

It can process about eight tonnes of nuts a day, and its bulk supply products include tree nuts, seeds, dried fruits and Middle Eastern specialist confectionery, including baklava.

Many clients are wholesalers and cash-and-carry outlets and the firm says that its ability to get products to market quickly has helped it to be successful.

The family firm was set up in 1983. Its branded products are listed in major food retailers, convenience and deli stores, health food chains and wholesalers in Britain, Ireland and abroad.

It also manufactures private label brands for both domestic and overseas markets.