Dairy creates 100 jobs after lockdown deliveries boom

A dairy has seen doorstep deliveries boom by a third since the lockdown and created 100 jobs to meet demand.

McQueens Dairies plans to employ more delivery drivers as demand for doorstep deliveries of chilled essentials, like milk and fruit juice, has increased.

Since the lockdown in March, the business, which also delivers orange juice, apple juice and free-range eggs, has grown by almost 30 per cent.

In the past year, more than 100 new jobs have been established across the business.

Chairman Mick McQueen believes the rise in home deliveries has been down to people seeking ‘safe and reliable doorstep delivery’ services.

The firm, founded in 1995 by Mick and Meg McQueen, has opened a 6.5 acre dairy site in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire – capable of producing 1.5m litres of milk a week.

The company, headquartered in Glasgow, runs distribution depots in Scotland and the north of England, employing around 600 staff.

Mr McQueen said: “We have seen a clear change in consumer buying habits in recent months and we are confident that demand for safe and reliable doorstep deliveries will continue.

“Investing in a new, large dairy is at the heart of the business’s growth plans.

“Our doorstep milk delivery business was growing significantly before the coronavirus pandemic hit the country but we have witnessed significantly faster growth as people demanded safer and reliable food delivery services.”

The company has depots in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Kirkcaldy, Perth, Renfrewshire and Ayrshire and opened one in Galashiels, Scottish Borders, last year.

Along with the technology-led dairy equipment, including a new refrigeration plant and pasteurisation equipment, new filler lines and a significantly enhanced glass bottling line have been installed.

Mr McQueen confirmed the firm is “looking at other new locations for additional distribution depots across Scotland and the north of England to meet demand, and to recruit more milkmen and milkwomen to work across the whole of our distribution network”.

He said: “Customers drive our business and we have many who have been with us since we started.

“We now have many more and assure everyone that we are committed to giving them the very best service and product in the market.

“It is also very pleasing to be able to buy more raw milk from First Milk, a dairy farmer owned co-operative that has been supplying us for many years, and if the business maintains its growth levels, as we expect it to, we will be buying even more, helping support family farming businesses.”

Fraser Brown, commercial director of First Milk, which is a Scottish-registered co-operative, said: “It is great to see McQueens Dairies opening its new production facility in East Kilbride and continuing its ambitious expansion.

“We have been supplying McQueens with fresh raw milk direct from our dairy farmer members for many years.

“Our farmers are committed to sustainable dairy production and we look forward to continuing to work with McQueens in the future to help them bring great tasting dairy to their customers across Scotland and the north of England.”