I’m sure, like myself, many people ended 2019 by declaring with gusto and optimism: “2020 will be my year!”

Well, for most, that didn’t quite go to plan…

Yet, despite the chaos COVID-19 has caused, it’s not been all doom and gloom at Kudos Blends! Hard work, care and common sense have helped ensure we continue to operate – and flourish. I celebrate this with a hint of guilt. As a large-scale ingredient manufacturer with a strong presence in both the UK and global bakery markets, our company has not been affected to the extent that many other businesses have.

Our success has been in no small part due to the great team here at Kudos Blends. Without their due diligence and commitment to ensuring the safety of everyone on-site, we may not have been able to continue operating as well as we have.

Rapid but effective changes to how we behave and operate were introduced at the beginning of the pandemic: new office spaces created to increase social distancing, staggered working hours to limit contact, strict and thorough cleaning rotas built into our working day and the necessary furlough of anyone who fell into the “high-risk” category. The changes enforced – touch wood – have had the desired effect, with zero cases on-site and no drop in business.

Thankfully, the combination of successfully implementing new procedures and this year’s solid business growth has given us the security and stability to continue with a number of exciting on-site developments.

As well as a brand-new bakery analysis centre and the creation of a dedicated quality control building, our new production facility at Old Station Business Park is on its way to completion, with all external building work complete and a modern pallet racking system installed. The unit is currently being used as a fully-functioning warehouse while we design and prepare for the second phase of work; installing two production lines to massively increase output and create new jobs for the local community.

So, although this year hasn’t gone exactly to plan, we have had some real success thanks to the outstanding commitment from the team here at Kudos Blends. With a new production facility on the way, job opportunities in the near future and the launch of some revolutionary, patented products in the pipeline for 2021, maybe I was just a year out in my previous exclamation!