Sushi producer invests in Europe ’ s largest rice cooker
The UK ’ s leading producer of authentic Japanese sushi , ichiban , has invested in Europe ’ s largest rice cooker .
Ichiban has used a £ 1 million funding package from Lloyds Bank to purchase a state-of-the-art commercial rice cooker that will enable the business to cook the rice needed for its sushi more quickly , efficiently , and sustainably .
The new kit can cook 300 kilograms of rice every hour and produces perfectly cooked rice that further improves the quality of the product .
ichiban produces more than 500,000 packs of own label and branded sushi each week for its customer base which comprises many of the UK ’ s leading retailers and supermarkets , including Tesco , Boots and Aldi .
The business typically cooks around 900 tonnes of rice every year and expects this to increase to over 1000 tonnes each year following the recent investment .
Founded in 2005 , the business has gone from strength-to-strength in recent years and now has an annual turnover of £ 32 million .
ichiban , which means ‘ number one ’ in Japanese , employs more than 450 people at its site in Stowmarket , UK . The firm ’ s manufacturing process , which only uses fish and seafood from approved sources , is completed entirely in Suffolk .
Andrew Wilkinson , managing director , ichiban , said : “ We ’ ve enjoyed substantial growth in recent years as more and more people have discovered the appeal of eating sushi . But to maintain this trajectory , and increase our capacity for further expansion , we needed to invest
70 FDPP - www . fdpp . co . uk in new larger scale and more efficient cooking equipment .
“ The finance package we ’ ve received from Lloyds Bank has enabled us to do just that , and this investment will be transformational for our business .”
Matt Hubbard , Lloyds Banking Group ’ s East of England Ambassador , said : “ We have some excellent food and agricultural businesses in Suffolk and ichiban is a great example of a successful local business that is expanding .
We have some excellent food and agricultural businesses in Suffolk and ichiban is a great example of a successful local business that is expanding .
“ I was delighted to see the new rice cooker being installed , and come back to see it now it ’ s up-and-running . ichiban has a strong reputation for quality and service that really resonates with its customers .
“ We will remain by the side of ichiban in the future , as we will be by other Suffolk and UK based businesses that need our support .”
Michael Adams , the Lloyds Bank relationship director , works closely with the sushi firm .
Dr Dan Poulter , MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich , who visited ichiban ’ s manufacturing facility in Stowmarket last week , added : “ ichiban plays such an important role in our local economy , employing more than 450 people here in Suffolk , and it was really fascinating to see first-hand the intricate food manufacturing undertaken by the firm to produce its sushi .
www . ichibanuk . com