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Do you realise when you munch on a chocolate bar or buy a hot drink from a vending machine, you are actually supporting our business? For more than half of the products made by our ingredients division goes into the confectionery industry.

Sales Director Gareth Silcox explained why First Milk Ingredients’ largest customer group comprises Europe’s biggest chocolate manufacturers.

“There are many, many uses for ingredients products. Lactose is used as an alternative to sugar; whey powder is used as a bulking agent in products like ready meals and skimmed milk powder can be used in a variety of products due to its protein levels including animal feed. First Milk Ingredients focuses entirely on the food manufacturing sector.

“The ready meals sector is a growing market for whey powder but it is very cost conscious as it is driven primarily by the large retailers who are making own-label ready meals and who tend to focus more on price.

“Within the confectionery industry, price is a key factor but the quality of the product is equally important to them. Confectioners tend to be more discerning customers because our ingredients can influence the taste of their final product,” explained Gareth.

One of our key customers is Barry Callebaut, the biggest ‘industrial’ chocolate manufacturer in Europe who makes chocolate to specific confidential recipes for all the well-known confectionery firms. With factories all over Europe, including England, Belguim, Switzerland and Germany, they require vast quantities of dairy products on a daily basis.

We also supply skimmed milk powder, whey products and lactose to German firm, Lactoland, who help Ferrero (famous for their Ferrero Rocher luxury chocolates) source their dairy products.

Closer to home, our lactose is used in a variety of confectionery brands made by Mars, including Galaxy, Snickers, Mars bars and Maltesers and we also supply the UK’s other leading confectionery manufacturers.

Our whey powder and lactose is used in vending machines to make drinks like hot chocolate as well as our lactose being an ingredient in one of the nation’s favourite bedtime drinks.

So next time you can’t decide what to buy to satisfy your sweet tooth, choose chocolate from a manufacturer who buys our product and is helping make our members better off with First Milk.