Company Profile
According to Conrad Nelstrop, Chairman, the company's biggest change over the past decade has been the need to create closer working relationships with its customers and to be proactive, rather than reactive, to market changes.
Market
Traceability and the provenance of the wheat milled are increasingly important aspects for baking customers and consumers alike. Nelstrops has full traceability and known provenance for all its wheat used. Nelstrops uses predominantly local English wheat from Cheshire, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Midlands but also sources wheat from Canada, the United States and continental Europe depending on the end products being made and the quality of the harvests.
New ideas are continually being tried out by bakers in Nelstrops test bakery, which is fully equipped to simulate customer processes. An important example of this philosophy has been the development of wholegrain flours suitable for soft pan bread which has been increasingly popular in the context of healthy eating.
Another example includes the development of Peritec to produce very high quality premium white flours for white bread. The company also anticipated the increasing demand for organic bread by making the necessary changes to achieve organic status and accreditation by the Soil Association. Yet another successful development as the market for pizza grows has been Pizza Lily flour which is now being sold nationally through wholesalers. "We believe keeping in close contact with our customers and exchanging ideas breeds loyalties and commitment on both sides" Conrad Nelstrop said. "It’s a question of think customer all the time".
Nelstrops produces over 50 different types of flour. The flours are sold to independent craft bakeries, instore bakeries and major brand names. Some of Nelstrops flours are also available in 1.5kg retail and catering pack sizes.
Investment
To sustain and develop their market position, Nelstrops maintain their policy of continuous improvement through investment. In addition to the need to meet customer specifications, investment is necessary to meet increasingly stringent food standards and environmental and health & safety requirements and there is rarely a period without contractors on site, either replacing or installing additional plant. Nelstrops are currently replacing their grain intake facility, upgrading the No.1 mill with additional PeriTec equipment and have recently commissioned a Disc milling plant to supplement the No.2 soft wheat mill.
The original mill building of 1894, on the crest of Lancashire Hill, is an iconic landmark in the town. It was designed and supplied by Henry Simon to house a plant incorporating the newly developed rollermilling system. Such have been the technological advances over the last century, that the current plant housed within the same original building has a capacity of ten times that of the original.
When the test bakery facilities and office accommodation were upgraded and extended Christopher Nelstrop, an architect member of the family, was engaged to ensure that the new extension housing modern and functional facilities is in a style that alludes to the classic mill architecture of the region and thus remains in harmony with the classic 1894 mill building.
