THE new owners of a Crediton milk processing plant have paid tribute to the "skilled and committed workforce" they have inherited.
Dairy giants Arla Foods announced last week it has sold Crediton Dairy, which employs 177 people, to a management buy-out team led by two former Milk Link executives.
Tim Smiddy, who concluded the deal with colleague Neil Kennedy, said: "Crediton Dairy has strong growth potential based upon its self-contained, well invested manufacturing facility."
The business was ideally located, he added and would benefit from a milk supply agreement with Arla and in the longer term would be seeking to recruit their own dedicated group of farmers. Mr Kennedy said he believed Crediton Dairy was well-positioned in the "dynamic milk drinks sector".