AN award-winning bakery ingredient specialist based in south Shropshire has set its sights on global growth after buying new equipment with help from a grants programme.

Kudos Blends – which provides industry-leading leavening solutions for commercial bakeries around the world from its base in Cleobury Mortimer – has been awarded an £8,160 Small Equipment Grant to help purchase a texture analyser.

The machine provides objective data about the consistency and texture of products baked using Kudos Blends’ leavening agents and will help expand its global reach.

This advancement in testing technology has already led to the recruitment of a new member of staff at the business.

The grant scheme, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and supported by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and Marches Growth Hub, is part of a £3million funding package which also includes the Marches Building Investment Grant.

Kudos Blends, which employs nearly 45 people and was awarded the Queen’s Award for International Trade in 2016, already enjoys a 74 per cent market share in the UK and says its export markets represent a huge opportunity for further growth.

Yvette Taylor, Bakery Projects Manager at Kudos Blends, said the new analyser was an essential part of their ambitions because it provides scientific results about the way their products work.

“Our mission is to supply the global bakery industry with healthier leavening agents that deliver the superior quality bakers expect from Kudos Blends,” she said.

"The credibility of the data from the texture analyser will give us further evidence that our products deliver the health benefits and quality that potential customers are looking to achieve.”