The MP, who is also Chair of the Science and Technology Committee at Westminster, was at Totally Natural Solutions’ [TNS] new warehouse in Paddock Wood.
TNS said the business is making a ‘strategic investment’ to support exponential growth of its patented natural hop extract to incorporate an increase in headcount to 30 as well as securing additional premises to further expand.
The company provides its innovative hop oil and natural bittering extracts to the brewing industry for replacement of dry hopping.
The first phase of the investment has seen completion of the new warehouse and installation of an automated blend and pack facility to comply with Global Food Safety Initiative [GFSI] standards.
At 6,500 square feet, the Paddock Wood warehouse allows for 500 pallet spaces supported by investments in stock control systems. This improvement allows TNS to respond with short lead times to its increasing export sales, in markets such as the USA and Asia.
The company was set-up in in 2013 by Colin Wilson, who had previously been operations director with Barth Haas, the world’s largest supplier of hop products and services.
Wilson has ambitious growth plans for TNS, including taking its turnover to £25million over the next three years and the firm is investing heavily to realise this opportunity.
He said: “The new warehouse is the first of many major developments in our ongoing expansion plans for TNS. Some of the team have already moved over to the warehouse as we have outgrown our current space.”
He continued: “Our customer base and technical reputation is growing internationally, and we are working to enhance new and existing relationships with brewers of all sizes across the world.
“Innovation and sustainability are core to all that we do at TNS. We are here to support brewers and the wider industry in the process of using extracts to reduce water use, beer loss and energy consumption.”
Mr Clark spent time with the TNS team on site, learning more about the company’s growth and expansion plans and shared his thoughts.
He said: “It’s fantastic to see this new facility and to hear from the team behind an astonishing breakthrough in the traditions of hop growing and marketing in Kent.
“The possibilities of hop oil being used by craft brewers and major brewers is almost infinite and it’s tremendously exciting to know that such a creative and scientifically innovative company is based in my constituency.”
