Thew Arnott Opens New Food Ingredient Processing Facility in Illinois

Thew Arnott has opened a lecithin-blending site in Monticello, Illinois processing standard, non-GMO, and non-allergen varieties of this nature derived emulsifier.

Richard Newman, manging director of Thew Arnott commented: “This is another milestone in more than 150-years of our family business, and a logical next step building on the significant investments of the past 20 years since we began representing Lucas Meyer, The Lecithin People, following the closure of their UK Lecithin processing facility. Finding a new home for the experienced staff, we opened a state-of-the-art lecithin systems’ plant in Wales in 2007; we followed this with production of bespoke Confectionery Coating Systems.”

Gerry Stuart-Brown, sales director added: “When asked three years ago by US customers to help them with their technical and logistics’ challenges, we found a market eager for the customer-intimate service experience, which Thew Arnott has been offering to customers in Europe for many years. Our trans-Atlantic technical support soon led to the supply of products across the water and a pledge to bring our processing expertise to the US as soon as possible.”

In 2019, Thew Arnott sought to find a site where they believed they could ultimately develop a Food Ingredient Center of Excellence. A 15-acre site was acquired in Monticello, Illinois with direct rail access and plenty of room for further expansion in the years ahead; Confectionery Coating Systems will follow together with powdered Functional Systems.

Stuart-Brown explains: “Within 9 months the site was fully operational, and first products left the plant in the fall of 2020. Given the unprecedented circumstances and challenges arising through Covid-19, we count this as a fantastic achievement. Modifications and improvements have continued, and the team has grown. We are currently focusing on the Dairy, Feed and Confectionery industries throughout the US and Canada, but also making available the many traded items that constitute our full portfolio of products. Our considerable knowledge of bespoke blends now brings value to customers on both sides of the Atlantic.”