Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses' ongoing recovery shown in accounts

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses' ongoing recovery in a wake of a devastating fire at its Longridge operation has been revealed in its latest accounts.

The fourth-generation cheesemakers suffered when a major fire took place in November 2023 destroyed premises used for cutting, packing, warehouses and offices.

Latest accounts for the family business show that its pre-tax profits were £13.97m compared to £1.06m in 2023, while its profits for the year stood at £12.31m.

It comes after Lancashire Business View reported in March that Preston City Council had given the green light for the business to build a state-of-the-art cheesemaking campus on Inglewhite Farm.

Matthew Hall, fourth-generation owner at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses said: “Turnover for the year ended 30 September 2024 demonstrates our ongoing recovery in the 12 months following a devastating fire in November 2023.  

 “Support from our team, customers, suppliers and local community, combined with continued strategic investment in our soft cheese capacity, namely the acquisition of Hampshire Cheese Company in February 2024, has been critical to our post-fire recovery.

"We have also seen strong sales for blue cheese, Blacksticks in particular, which has been driven by our first ever radio and outdoor advertising campaign for the brand. 

 “As we continue building back, we are uniquely positioned to modernise our operation and explore new technologies and processes that protect our craft and give time back to our cheesemaking.

"As such, we are building an industry-first cheesemaking campus that is inspired by the land and will nurture our cheese from beginning to end on the farm.”

In the strategic report in the accounts, director Daniel James Butler Hall said: "Hampshire Cheese Company is a multi-award-winning artisan cheesemaker which was founded in 2005 and has amassed a legion of fans for Tunworth and Winslade; two expertly handcrafted, continental-style soft cheeses that are revered among some of the UK's leading chefs, Michelin restaurants and premium independent retailers."

Butlers is an award-winning fourth generation family business and can trace its history back to 1932. It is owned by the Hall family.