Ulrick + Short opens production and innovation hub
Clean label ingredient specialist Ulrick + Short has significantly bolstered its manufacturing muscle with the opening of a new, state-of-the-art production and warehouse facility at Leeds Valley Park, UK.
The launch of the two-storey Stourton site marks the company’s third owned facility and serves as a cornerstone of its long-term strategy to scale increasingly sophisticated ingredient solutions for the European food and beverage market. The investment comes on the heels of the company’s 25th anniversary and its 2021 partnership with Novax AB.
Strategically located off the M1, the new hub is designed to eliminate the friction between laboratory development and industrial production. By housing UK warehousing, a QC laboratory, a dedicated sample room, and blending facilities in a single location, Ulrick + Short can now move from initial concept to full-scale manufacturing with unprecedented speed.
“The opening of Leeds Valley Park represents an important step in the next chapter of U+S,” said Adrian Short, CEO and co-founder. “This investment strengthens our blending capability and enhances the resilience of our supply chain, enabling greater flexibility and capacity to support future innovation.”
The facility isn’t just a boost in volume; it’s a boost in standards. In January 2026, the site achieved a BRC AA grade, the highest possible rating for food safety and operational quality. This certification ensures that the site is fully “regulation-ready” to support the complex clean-label requirements of major retailers and manufacturers.
Beyond its own production, the Leeds Valley Park site has been engineered to act as a central hub for The Ingå Group. It will provide collaborative space and logistical support for sister companies including Louis François, MSK Ingredients, and JM Posner, creating a unified centre of excellence for specialty ingredients.
For the food trade, the expansion is a welcome sign of supply chain resilience. As manufacturers face ongoing pressure to reformulate products for “clean label” status — removing artificial additives and allergens — having a dedicated UK-based blending and QC hub reduces lead times and technical bottlenecks.
The move also signals the growing strength of the UK’s ingredient tech sector. By integrating “agile” production with high-level technical support, Ulrick + Short is positioning itself to be a primary partner for brands navigating the next gen of food formulation.
“The site reflects the way we work as a business — agile, collaborative and focused on building strong partnerships,” Short added. “Reaching this milestone as we marked 25 years makes it particularly meaningful.”
The facility is now fully operational and open for customer visits and collaborative development sessions.
