Kettle Produce is back on its feet after the devastating fire which ripped through the company’s premises earlier this year.

A troop of 50 firefighters battled the blaze at the Orkie Farm plant, near Freuchie in Fife, belonging to one of Scotland’s largest supermarket suppliers in April.

Despite extensive work by the local fire brigade and fire investigators, they have been unable to determine the exact cause of the fire.

The company moved some of the equipment and its permanent staff to the company’s Balmalcolm site to complete fulfilling customer orders while Orkie Farm was being repaired.

The firm bounced back by “maintaining and increasing production” at other facilities and said support within the industry had been “phenomenal”. Production has recommenced at the Orkie site.

A spokesperson for Kettle Produce said: “Fortunately, our business continuity plan was very robust and proved extremely effective in minimising the impact of the fire on our operations.

“The support we continue to receive from our customers and our other partners has been very humbling. It was a really positive aspect of the whole affair which is still being felt today. I’m extremely proud of the efforts of the entire team.”

He added that business remained difficult due to market conditions: “Like everyone else in the industry, and indeed the economy as a whole, trading conditions are tough. It is a hard market at the moment, but we’re well placed for the future.”