Strategic hires unveiled at Mr Whippy ahead of £15m doughnut factory launch
A raft of senior appointments has been announced by treats brand Mr Whippy as it prepares opening its new £15m doughnut manufacturing site in Sheffield.
“We are building a team of vital, elite staff who will head up not just another production site, but a symbol of what happens when innovation, category expansion, persistence and skills come together,”
The 23,355 sq ft premises at Woodhouse Link, which the company unveiled last November, has capacity to produce more than 104 million doughnuts per year and is expected to create over 50 jobs on-site once it becomes operational later this summer.
Among the senior appointments is baking industry veteran Jacqui Jackson as head of NPD. She brings over two decades of experience to the role, having helped develop sweet bakery products such as Jaffa Mini Rolls at McVitie’s cake division, Mars-branded cakes at Finsbury Food Group, and caramel shortcakes for Thorntons.
Jackson began her career with cake manufacturer Lyons (now owned by Premier Foods), where she worked on Mr Kipling Cherry Bakewell, Fondant Fancies, Battemburg, and Apple Pies. She later worked as a bakery consultant for Greencore in Hull and a process manager for CSM Bakery Solutions in Bradford, as well as founding baking course provider Yorkshire Baking Club inside Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
Mr Whippy said Jackson is to work closely with founder and CEO Michael Corrado Jackson (no relation) on “invention and fun ingredients, while keeping brand values at the forefront of her work”. Supplying the technical force behind these new doughnut products is head baker Jason Roome, joined by site operations & bakery assistant Arfan Ijaz. The brand has an existing range of cupcakes sold at retailers including Co-op, Iceland, and Home Bargains, with bulk platters available at Costco.
“Modernised production can unlock growth in a cost-conscious, quality-driven retail market”
Other members forming the management team include Joe Sealey, who has become chief revenue officer; Phil Kitchen as commercial director; Kit Rogan as head of sales; Cheryl Fletcher as head of group operations; Tom Hunt as finance director; Paul Macnish as site general manager; Bilal Ahmad as head of technical; Lucy Brooke as head of engineering; and Steven Page as head of IT.
The new bakery is said to allow end-to-end automation and direct distribution, enabling Mr Whippy to manufacture, pack, and dispatch under one roof, cutting time from oven to aisle.
“We are building a team of vital, elite staff who will head up not just another production site, but a symbol of what happens when innovation, category expansion, persistence and skills come together,” commented CEO Jackson, who has driven the entire factory build from concept to production-ready within 12 months.
The facility will disrupt the market and set new standards for quality,” he added. “Investment in automation and layout, to sourcing world-class skills and equipment represent key components of our strategy to offer quality, maintain product consistency and operational efficiency.”
The new doughnut range will be fully launched in September, confirmed the CEO, with a number of high-profile retailers already signed up.
