50 jobs packaged in Staffordshire factory launch

The Wool Packaging Company, whose high-profile customers include TV's River Cottage and the National Trust, will officially open its new site on July 3.

Around 25 jobs will be created initially, with a further 25 planned by the end of the year.

The business has developed a way to use wool to create eco-friendly packaging that is more effective than plastics at keeping out heat.

The firm was launched in 2008 under the Woolcool brand, based in the grounds of Oakley Hall, on the Staffordshire-Shropshire border near Market Drayton, aimed at the food industry.

Woolcool founder Angela Morris claims that her material could replace polystyrene as a way to transport and store perishables.

In 2012 the company was awarded a government-funded research grant to develop the product for use in the pharmaceuticals sector, which has led to the opening of the new plant at Walton, Stone.

The research has proved that the wool product can keep pharmaceuticals between two and eight degrees Celsius for up to 150 hours – more than double the accepted industry standard of 72 hours.

The expansion into pharmaceuticals has resulted in a growing range of clients producing vaccines and medicines for both human and veterinary use.

The packaging is seen as a solution to the crucial problem of transporting vaccines around the globe, which leads to 50 per cent being unusable by the time they arrive at their destination.

Angela Morris, a packaging design expert, has worked for a range of large companies including BHS, Nestlé, Cadbury and Rolls-Royce.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, who owns organic food firm River Cottage, promotes the company on his website.

Councillor Frances Beatty, Stafford Borough Council's cabinet member for planning and regeneration, said it was good news for the area.

She added: "It's encouraging to see the creation of local jobs through the expansion of an innovative business such as this."