Ice cream maker Mackie’s of Scotland has landed a major supply deal with Waitrose.
The company, which is based at Westertown near Rothienorman, has agreed a distribution deal with the retailer to supply its honeycomb ice creams to 245 stores across the country from next month.
It is expected to generate £500,000 in retail sales and follows on from last year’s UK-wide listing with Sainsbury’s which saw sales for the product surge by more than a third.
During the last 12 months honeycomb flavour has become the brands biggest growing line.
The Mackie’s deal comes as Waitrose is set to open its new food hall within Dobbies garden centre in Aberdeen next month.
Aberdeenshire’s Mackie’s ice cream sold across the country
Mackie’s of Scotland senior national account manager Lyndsay Mackay said: “The success of our traditional real dairy ice cream over the past three decades has been brilliant.
“Our Scottish consumers have long been able to enjoy our wide range of fantastic flavours, and we’re so excited about this new listing giving consumers in England and Wales an opportunity to discover more of Mackie’s.”
Mackie’s said the deal with Waitrose would build on the company’s recent market growth in England, Wales and Northern Ireland which saw an increase of 500,000 customers.
It also said a “major contributing factor” to the brands success was the farm’s feature in BBC’s ‘Inside the Factory’ which was viewed by millions of people.
Sales of the company’s honeycomb ice cream grew by more than 200% after Gregg Wallace toured the farm and made his own batch of ice cream on the programme.
Mackie’s history
Since first beginning to make ice cream in 1986, Mackie’s of Scotland has since launched more than 200 products and created more than 1000 flavours.
The fourth generation family farm, Westertown, near Rothienorman, is powered by renewable energy and started making ice cream – using milk and dairy from its own herd – in 1986.
Earlier this year Mackie’s suffered a slump in profits.
Accounts filed at Companies House show pre tax profits fell by 59% to £1.7 million, from £4.1 million.
Turnover also fell, to £17.7 million from £18.5 million, during the year ending May 31 2022.
