The Pie House at Cinder Hill Farm is a family-owned business in the Forest of Dean, producing premium sweet and savoury pastry products. As they continued to grow, they wanted to improve their manufacturing processes while maintaining the high quality of their products.
Like many food manufacturers, the business faced increasing cost pressures and recognised the need to improve operational efficiency. One key opportunity was to bring meat preparation in-house, reducing reliance on external suppliers while giving them greater flexibility and control over production. However, this required careful planning, new equipment and a clear understanding of how the process could be implemented.
Through Made Smarter South West, The Pie House at Cinder Hill Farm accessed a combination of training, grant funding, an internship and academic mentoring from the University of the West of England (UWE).
Working alongside an academic mentor, a Made Smarter intern carried out a detailed feasibility study into bringing meat production in-house. The project included mapping the required process changes, identifying the equipment needed, planning factory layout changes and running a production trial to assess the viability of the proposal.
Grant funding also enabled the business to invest in:
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An industrial vegetable peeler
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An automated packaging print and counting system
These improvements helped streamline production and increase operational efficiency.
The feasibility study provided a clear roadmap for bringing meat production in-house, giving the business greater control over its supply chain and reducing one of its key production costs.
The investment in new machinery has also improved efficiency by automating manual processes, allowing the team to focus on higher-value activities.
Together, these improvements will:
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Reduce production costs
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Improve supply chain control
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Develop and launch new products more quickly
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Increase flexibility within production
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Create new employment opportunities as the business grows
"Made Smarter helped us make improvements that we might otherwise have put off. Whether it's through internships or grant funding, it gives businesses the support to really kickstart those changes."
James McGloin, Chief Operating Officer, The Pie House at Cinder Hill Farm
With a clear implementation plan, improved production equipment and greater control over its manufacturing processes, The Pie House at Cinder Hill Farm is well positioned for future growth.
The combination of expert mentoring, practical implementation support and grant funding has helped the business build stronger operational foundations, creating opportunities to expand its product range, improve efficiency and continue delivering high-quality products to its customers.
