A RAPIDLY expanding soft drinks company has opened a second factory as part of its £45m investment at its Leeming Bar head-quarters near Bedale.

Cawingredients, set up in 2010, occupies a 26-acre site and provides a range of

manufacturing, bottling, packaging and product development and advisory services to major drinks manufacturers. Its turnover was £44.5m in 2013.

It is chairman and chief executive Andrew Cawthray’s re-entry into the soft drinks sector having sold his Macaw Soft drinks firm to the Cott Corporation in 2005 for £76m.

The new factory, complete with new road and 150 space car park, was built in just 10 months from consultation to completion by Sutcliffe Construction of Hellifield, Skipton.

The 95,000 sq ft (8,800 sq m) factory is designed to function as a product mixing operation as well as a warehouse. Sutcliffe built the main165,000sq ft (15,300 sq m) operation on the site in 2010.

The £45m investment by Cawingredients also aims to create more than 100 jobs and boost production and warehouse capacity over a three year period.

Mr Cawthray said: "Our experience of working with Sutcliffe on the first build gave us the confidence that they could deliver on time and that they understand the specifications we are working to."

James Sutcliffe, managing director, Sutcliffe Construction, said: "The biggest challenge in this project was the time frame. Cawingredients was keen to proceed with its expansion plans so design work that would normally take months for a project of this size and quality was done in weeks.

"We excel at providing design and build improvements based on a ‘value-engineering’ concept that is more cost effective and reduces build time. Having our own steel fabrication factory also helps us control what can be a critical aspect of a build."

Sutcliffe has also recently completed builds for multinationals Cinetic Landis and Aggregate Industries, as well as local companies such as Advanced Component Technology, Byworth Boilers and Crown Paints.