Adande welcomed Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Hammond, and the Conservative MP for the local Waveney constituency, Peter Aldous to its Lowestoft factory last week (22 April).

The Cabinet Minister was briefed on Adande’s proven track record for product innovation and eco-pioneering initiatives in the field of foodservice refrigeration, as well as the company’s rapid growth and its growing importance as an employer in the area. The company’s export growth, with sales in Europe, Asia and the Americas was also discussed.

Adande manufactures a patented and award-winning refrigerated drawer system used in a wide variety of foodservice applications, ranging from fine dining to quick service restaurants. It is a supplier of refrigerated storage for McDonald’s and KFC in the UK. The company’s current turnover, of in excess of £5m, is expected to grow to between £20m and £30m by 2018, with its number of employees doubling to over 60 in the same period.

Philip Hammond said: 'Everybody talks about the very big household named companies and of course they are very important to us, but most of the jobs being created in our economy are being created in small businesses - that is where the future is.'

Peter Aldous added: 'I was very keen for Philip to come up here and see what I have seen over the last four years; how Adande has grown and is moving forward. They are up for the challenge and pursuing export markets around the world; this is the type of business that we need to be encouraging and helping to facilitate their growth.'

The visit follows an announcement of funding for the further development of Adande’s patented Aircell airflow management system for refrigerated retail display cases. The company receive a grant of £2.1m and a loan of £380,000, as part of a £4.2m project that it is leading with Plas-Tech Ltd and Bond Retail Services Ltd. It will create up to 97 new jobs and safeguard 144 existing ones.

Managing director of Adande, Ian Wood, said: 'We have made a significant investment in the design and development of Aircell, with recent in-store trials bringing the technology within the realms of commercial viability. The award of the grant and the equity investment, which we are currently seeking, will enable us to fine tune Aircell to meet the specific needs of retailers for sustainable refrigeration, offering tangible energy savings and an improved shopping experience.'

Pictured above L to R are: Adande Managing Director, Ian Wood; Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Philip Hammond; Conservative MP for the local Waveney constituency, Peter Aldous.