CASE STUDY – Quaker Oats 2016

PepsiCo added Quaker to its portfolio of brands in 2001 which included an Oats Mill in Cupar, Fife.  Back then there were around 100 employees with oat production predominantly taking place during the winter season.  Today there are nearly around 250 workers and the mill runs 24/7.

Quaker products can help consumers reap the nutritional benefits of wholegrain oats which provide a source of fibre which can help to reduce blood cholesterol levels.

Over the last ten years there has been a great deal of investment in the Cupar facility and this has supported a doubling of volumes exported over this period. Today, the Mill in Fife supplies products to over 60 countries around the world with over half of total tonnage going to exports in 2015.   This includes many countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East mainly with traditional oats in tins and aluminium bags.

The country we export most to is Saudi Arabia which accounts for around 16% of the tonnage exported.  Oats are particularly popular during Ramadan given their energy sustaining benefits

The largest growth market in the past decade has been Pakistan with an over fifty fold increase in tonnage exports.

To boost exports further, Quaker has installed a new alufoil line to increase capacity and to produce strip sachets suitable for pinning on trees or hanging over bicycle handlebars for sales people in Nigeria.