News Release 
January 2011


PRIMULA SQUEEZES PAST £10,000 TARGET IN SUPPORT OF LOCAL CHARITY!

Kavli, the company behind Primula Cheese has donated over £13,000 to local charity The Children’s Foundation (TCF) following a two-year support programme.

Having embarked on the programme in 2009, the last two years have seen staff members undergo a number of fundraising activities for the charity. At their most ambitious, staff abseiled down the side of the Vermont Hotel, took on the Great Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, braved the 30th annual Great North Run and completed a 130mile bike ride from Scotland back to the Kavli factory on the Team Valley.

Craig Brooks, marketing director at Kavli said: “We take pride in being a socially conscious company and part of that is looking after the communities in which we operate. The Children’s Foundation provides an invaluable service to the North East, working tirelessly to ensure the health and well being of the region’s children. Even when hanging off the side of a building or on that 129th mile of a two-day bike ride, knowing we were supporting such a worthy cause has kept our staff going and I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed over the last two years.”

Libby Nolan, fundraising manager at The Children’s Foundation added: “The Kavli team has not only provided us with a valuable boost to our revenue, they’ve also been great fun. Throughout the course of the two years, I was constantly surprised by the team’s creativity and determination in the various fundraising activities and I’d like to thank them for all their efforts.”   

2011 will see Kavli adopting a new approach to its work with the local community, giving staff members the opportunity to take a day’s paid leave to volunteer or fundraise for the charity of their choice. Brooks explain: “We hope this initiative will enable employees to continue to support their preferred charities and will also allow the business to support a wider selection of local good causes.”

The New Year will also see Kavli continue to support international causes. The company is uniquely owned by The Kavli Trust, a charitable organisation that invests a significant proportion of Kavli’s annual profits into scientific, cultural and humanitarian causes around the world. Most recently this has included the Haiti appeal and the Salvation Army’s ‘Sally-Ann’ project.

For more information about Kavli or The Kavli Trust please visit www.kavli.co.uk. For more information about Primula please visit www.primula.co.uk.

-Ends-

Media Contact
For media information please contact Charlie at Karol Marketing Group on 0191 265 7765 or email .

About Primula
Primula has been a leading family brand for over 80 years. Most famous for its cheese tubes, the squeezy cheese range consists of Original Cheese, Cheese and Chive, Cheese and Ham, Cheese and Prawn and the new Primula Light Cheese Spread.

Responding to the demands of health conscious consumers, Primula’s Light variety was launched in March t2010. Boasting 40% less fat, the tube contains 20% fewer calories than extra light vegetable spreads making it a tastier and lower calorie alternative to swirl on toast, bagels, crispbreads or whatever takes your fancy.

The recipe for Primula’s famous spreadable cheese is a closely guarded secret. The original recipe was created in 1924 by Olav Kavli in Bergen, Norway and is still used today at the Kavli factory in Gateshead over 80 years later. Primula has resisted the move taken by other brands into cheaper, reduced cheese recipes and has geared its marketing effort to celebrate its high cheese  content, quality ingredients and versatile use of the tube format. 2009 saw the brand’s volume grow by 20% year on year as consumers rediscovered its convenience, value and versatility for all the family.
 
Kavli Ltd manufactures a range of spreadable cheese and dips from its Gateshead site under the Primula brand. The company also owns Castle MacLellan Foods Limited, based in Kirkcudbright, proud makers of exquisite Scottish pâté made from the finest local ingredients.

Kavli is fully owned by the Kavli Trust which supports charities both in the UK and abroad.