Scottish potato crisp firm Mackie's at Taypack is set to open a new manufacturing facility in Errol with support from Clydesdale Bank.
The new facility, which is 60% larger than the company's current unit at Moncur, Perthshire, will enable the company to more than double its production capacity.
The company is planning to relocate to the new facility in August, following which, the number of 150g bags produced are expected to increase from 96,000 to 201,000 during a single shift. The increase in production will also lead to new jobs.
Over the next two years, the company also plans to open a visitor centre, cafe and shop at the new site.
Mackie's has received assistance for the project through a substantial funding package from Clydesdale Bank's Business and Private Banking Centre in Perth. The project has also received public funding.
The new factory is being developed at the former site of Errol Brickworks, which closed in 2008 after being in operation for about 150 years.
Mackie's at Taypack George Taylor said that the spacious new site will not only enable the company to double production, but will also provide with space to upscale further in years to come.
"There's plenty of room, too, to develop visitor facilities. We eventually hope to become a destination in our own right," Taylor added.
Clydesdale Bank's Business and Private Banking Centre head Richard Smith said, "Mackie's at Taypack is a classic example of a food and drink business that has excelled by offering a high quality product that trades on its Scottish provenance."
"With our support, the company will now be able to target new markets, across the UK and further afield," Smith added.
Mackie's at Taypack's was formed in 2009 as a joint venture between Perthshire potato farmers, the Taylor family, and Aberdeenshire-based Mackie's of Scotland.
The company's turnover is projected to rise by 48% to £4.6m this year from £3.1m in 2012. In the UK, Mackie's crisps are stocked by all of the major retailers in Scotland. The company supplies crisps in 20 countries around the world, including Canada, the US, and Australia.
