Vitacress has overcome challenging weather and market conditions to post a return to profit.
The herb and salad specialist reported turnover of £110.2m in 2016, according to accounts filed at Companies House, up from a restated £100.8m the year before. Crucially, the company recovered from a £3m loss in 2015 to record a £1m pre-tax profit.
Vitacress said it had made a number of investments over the period, including in new despatch bays, a workshop and the development of intake bays to further enhance product quality and efficiencies.
The multi-million pound investment the business made in 2015 in new facilities at Vitacress Herbs also delivered high product quality and customer service, directors said, despite the challenge of rising input costs.
Several new added-value product lines were introduced in herbs, while further investment came with a new Enterprise Resource Planning system and the implementation of Lean principles.
On the international front, Vitacress Portugal performed well in spite of tough weather at the start of the year, while Vitacress Real delivered significant growth in the Benelux markets, according to the company. A trial has also kicked off in Germany.
Directors described the overall financial result as 'encouraging', though there was one setback with wholesale markets division Vitacress Sales ceasing trading during the year.
