A FOOD campaigner has said a Scottish ice cream brand’s move to Yorkshire is “extremely disappointing”.
We told on Tuesday how Cream o’ Galloway, founded in 1994, will move to a manufacturing site outside Masham in Yorkshire after being bought by Brymor a year ago.
A statement on the website said this would allow the business to “benefit from newer, more efficient equipment”.
However, Ruth Watson – founder of Keep Scotland the Brand – has raised concerns about the move, saying that moving south rather than investing in Scotland, but keeping the Scottish brand regardless, is "the height of cynicism".
‘Losing Scottish identity’
One of Watson’s key questions was whether the business will still be making use of milk from the farm near Gatehouse of Fleet in Dumfries and Galloway.
In a statement, new owners Brymor had said that the company would continue to distribute the Cream o’ Galloway range from “Ashlands, Twynholm, outside Castle Douglas, so that we can service our valued customers and Scotland, Northumberland and Cumbria”.
However, it also said: “Manufacturing at Brymor the brand will benefit from newer, more efficient equipment, as well as benefiting from the sustainable and environmentally friendly resources Brymor has implemented over the last four years.
“Our goal is to continue to produce a high quality, real dairy ice cream made on the farm, using creamy whole milk and high quality ingredients.”
The National has approached Brymor for further clarification with the business confirming that all the ingredients would be made at the new base in Yorkshire, including the milk.
A spokesperson for Brymor also explained that the cream used in the product never came from the original site in Scotland, but was rather bought in from a national supplier.
However, it will be made clear on the packaging that the ice cream is manufactured in England rather than in Scotland, although it will still say "Cream o' Galloway" while staff – including a receptionist, driver, and a person handling sales – will still be based in Scotland.
Speaking to The National, Watson (above) said: “The south west has some of the best dairy cattle and dairy farms anywhere in the world because it gets so much rain and sunshine so the grass there is particularly good for dairy.
“That’s one of the reasons the south west have got such incredible dairy produce and why the Cream o’ Galloway brand made such marketing sense.
“The actual profile of the milk, if you break it down into a nutritional profile, is a very high quality because of the grass the cattle graze on.”
However, Watson added it would be better if the new site were to use milk from the original farm, and that there was still a sense of “Scotland losing its identity” because the infrastructure is not being invested in even though the business has been saved.
Moving south
Brymor said that it became “evident from the outset that the manufacturing equipment and the whole site was tired and required significant new investment”.
It further explained that it would be “consolidating the manufacturing to the Brymor site”.
Watson said she felt that “if something is being called a Scottish product, it should be made in Scotland”.
“Rather than investing in a popular Scottish brand, the new company is keeping the local name and benefitting from the Scottish connection and that’s the height of cynicism.
“It’s a Scottish brand but you’re not investing in infrastructure, jobs or honestly making it a brand.
“I think it’s a real problem. You have to ask why are they using Scotland’s name and it’s because it means something."
Cream o’ Galloway wasn’t the only business to move work out of Scotland on Monday as we also told how the owner of Irn-Bru ended its partnership of nearly three decades with a Scottish marketing agency in favour of a London-based firm.
Watson continued: “People who’re buying think it’s a Scottish product and if they then realise it’s not, what faith and what confidence do they have in the brand.
“You’ve got some Scottish businesses investing, looking at their factories and making an investment, keeping the jobs and skills here but you’ve got somebody else going ‘we’ll move it to Yorkshire but still call it Galloway’ and crib off its reputation.
“To my mind, we’ve got to keep Scotland the brand and it’s got to be honest.”
What has Brymor said?
A statement from Brymor, who purchased Cream o’ Galloway in January 2024, is available on the ice cream brand’s website.
It states: "In January 2024, Brymor purchased the Cream o’ Galloway Ice Cream Brand. Brymor manufactures and distributes premium ice cream, made on the farm on their site outside Masham, North Yorkshire and has been trading for 40 years.
"The previous owners of Cream o’ Galloway had announced the closure in 2023. This was in effect a 'just in time' acquisition and prevented the loss of this much loved and cherished brand.
"Over 2024, the manufacturing continued at the farm with no changes, which allowed us to understand the brand, customers, and manufacturing processes.
"It was evident from the outset that the manufacturing equipment and the whole site was tired and required significant new investment. Therefore, we are consolidating the manufacturing to the Brymor site.
"Brymor has over 40 years’ experience in ice cream manufacturing and can provide a wealth of knowledge to continue to produce this much loved range of real dairy ice cream.
"By manufacturing at Brymor the brand will benefit from newer, more efficient equipment, as well as benefiting from the sustainable and environmentally friendly resources that Brymor has implemented over the last four years.
"Our goal is to continue to produce a high quality, real dairy ice cream made on the farm, using creamy whole milk and high quality ingredients.
"We will continue to distribute the Cream o’ Galloway range from Ashland’s, Twynholm, outside Castle Douglas, so that we can service our valued customers and Scotland, Northumberland and Cumbria."
