Mr Whippy is aiming to cause a flurry in the UK doughnut market next year when it begins operations at its new £15m factory in Sheffield.
The 23,355 sq ft unit located at the new Woodhouse Link employment site near junction 31 of the M1 will have capacity to produce up to two million doughnuts per week. These will help diversify Mr Whippy’s existing portfolio of branded treats including cupcakes and sweets.
The Mr Whippy trademark, covering categories including sweet bakery and confectionery, is owned by Manchester-based firm Innovative Retail Solutions (IRS). It is a separate company from the soft-serve ice cream brand of the same name, which is produced by Unilever subsidiary Wall’s.
Mr Whippy Ice Cream Flavour Cupcakes were launched in April 2024 in variants of Strawberry Sauce & Flake and Bubblegum & Hundreds and Thousands. Produced via a co-manufacturing agreement with a third-party bakery, they have shifted over four million packs to date and are now sold at seven different retailers including Co-op, Iceland, and Home Bargains. A Festive Cupcake 12-pack will see three new variants – Red Velvet, Chocolate, and Vanilla – debuting at Costco next week.
Meanwhile, Mr Whippy sweets were rolled out earlier this year with packs containing cherry, raspberry, and vanilla flavoured gummies in ice cream cone or star shapes.
Innovative Retail Solutions is now making a major play for the doughnut market, tapping into trends for both premium treats and childhood nostalgia with a new brand, Mr Whippy Donuts.
“We believe the time is right to bring this much, loved family brand into the doughnut category, and we look forward to establishing a leading brand in this space,” said a company statement. “Mr Whippy stands for family fun and high quality, affordable products for everyone, and we are committed to carrying this mission forward as we grow.”
Mr Whippy strategic development director Joe Sealey told British Baker that they would be focussing on creating “indulgent, finished, injected, and topped doughnuts at an affordable everyday price, which I think will break retail”. He is one of three at shareholders in the company alongside Michael Corrado Jackson and Robert Nugent.
At least 50 new jobs including bakers are to be created at the new £15m factory in southeast Sheffield, according to Sealey. However, he noted they were “building the quickest, most automated luxury doughnut line on the UK scene”. Automation will potentially extending across the entire production and packaging process, helping reduce labour costs but also benefitting other areas.
“There is an option that, if we go down that road, will mean the first person that touches the doughnut – from ingredients at the start to the end product in store – will be the person that buys it. To me, that is groundbreaking in terms of health and safety and food hygiene,” he added.
The new production line is also being equipped with a Helix spiral cooling system from Starfrost, which will allow precise temperature control and rapid, uniform cooling of products. Starfrost is also supplying a CO₂ refrigeration plant that is said to provide a low-carbon, future proofed solution with optimised energy efficiency and performance throughout the year, aligning with Mr Whippy’s sustainability goals.
Mr Whippy will also consider reducing or eliminating plastic from packaging in line with retailer or consumer demand. “We’re trying to be flexible and it’s kind of the last thing that we are finalising on the Sheffield line,” commented Sealey.
The lease for the Woodhouse Link site has been handled by Knight Frank. ”The modern unit leant itself to becoming a state of the art food production facility and the location for distribution of the product is unparalleled,” said Rebecca Schofield, Knight Frank’s partner – industrial & logistics Yorkshire.