Family-run business Equi's ice cream has been given a huge £1.7million makeover as the award-winning brand moves into their new factory and headquarters, in Rutherglen.
They will now be able to produce four times the amount of delicious ice cream they used to at their original Hamilton home - at a factory which is 45 times bigger than the original production facility.
The new 10,000 sq. ft factory has been designed to maximise sustainability efforts with a bespoke water recycling system that saves upwards of 16 million litres of water per year.
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Equi’s Ice Cream’s story started in 1914 with their great grandfather Pietro Equi. Aged just 15, he came to Scotland to seek his fortune and found his calling selling the incredible gelato he missed from back home.
Today Equi’s ice cream is sold via more than 300 independent customers across Scotland and in major supermarkets including Asda, the Co-Op and Morrisons - as well as wholesalers.
Four generations of the Equi family has been producing ice cream since 1922 with flavours like Scottish Tablet, Isle of Skye Sea Salt and Caramel and Alphonso Mango Sorbet sold across the country.
David Equi, Managing Director of Equi’s Ice Cream, said: “When my grandfather Pietro immigrated to Scotland from Tuscany in Italy he started the small independent café that we know today as Equi’s Hamilton.
"Now into its fourth generation in the ice cream business, my family has continued this principle of using the best quality, locally sourced ingredients and to this day we only use fresh local Scottish milk and double cream for all our ice cream, which we get from a farm just along the road.
"Our new factory allows us to take our ambitious plans for production and growth to the next level.”
Gary Munro, Production Manager of Equi’s Ice Cream, added: “This is a real game changer for the ice cream industry in Scotland. Our purpose built unit has been designed to be as efficient and environmentally sustainable as possible with major upgrades in machinery.
"It’s unlike anything else in Scotland today. In addition to a 90% drop in water usage, our steam boiler uses 66% less gas and we continue to work with suppliers who allow us to support local businesses and further reduce our food miles, including Park Farm who supply our milk from ten miles away.”
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