The Tracklement Company, Filling Line, Malmesbury, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

The Tracklement Company Ltd is truly one that can say it started as a 'cottage' industry. The company makes a range of excellent chutneys, mustards, vinaigrettes, jellies, pickles, ketchups and sauces which have been formulated to complement pies, sausages, cheese and meat dishes that are popular in the UK.

The company started in 1970 when the director William Tullberg was disappointed with the range of mustard available in the UK.

William was a product tester and had to taste many sausages and pies during his work, and needed a decent mustard to excite his palate a little more.

He decided to make his own English wholegrain mustard and, with the help of some friends and using a coffee grinder, devised a recipe for and made the mustard which is known in the product range today as Urchfont mustard.

TRACKLEMENT TAKES OFF

Today Tracklement operates from a purpose-built facility in the heart of the Wiltshire countryside and makes a range of 'handmade products' from natural ingredients such as fresh garlic, chilli, pimentos, wild horseradish and whole mustard seed.

The company prepares and grinds all its own mustard seed, spices and chilli. In addition, only fresh local and organic vegetables are used.

The products use no artificial colourants, preservatives or thickening agents. There are over 46 different product lines, including 11 different types of mustard.

The company sells via specialist food emporia, farm shops and online, with a special line in Christmas hampers.

NEW FACILITY

In 2006 Tracklement had outgrown its original premises at a disused dairy farm near Sherston the premise, having moved there in 2001.

By November 2007 the company had moved to a new purpose-built facility in Wiltshire and needed to obtain more equipment to automate and increase efficiency on the filling side of the operation. The products are all still made in small batch kettles to the same exacting standards and recipes.

Tracklement approached Riggs Autopack and asked them to supply and install their well-known Model 1000 twin-head filling machine on the production line.

The factory had previously used two semi-automatic filling machines. The new equipment was bought in order to increase production and allow faster filling with high-viscosity products.

At the facility the new filling equipment is used for packing of jars from 200ml to 1.2l. The machine has a quick and easy cleaning process and as such has increased production output; changeovers are now much quicker than previously.