AN expanding food business in Cleobury Mortimer is beating the economic downturn and bringing new jobs to the area.

Kudos Blends, which makes baking powders, has taken on five new staff this year and expects to create at least five new jobs next year.

The company, that started with just managing director Dinnie Jordan and one other employee, now has 20 people working for the business.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne was at the factory on the Old Station Industrial Park to open a new £750,000 milling unit that will help to meet a growing order book.

As well as customers throughout the UK, the company also exports to the United States and Canada. It has recently appointed a distributor in New Zealand and is looking at the Australian market.

The company is at the forefront of developing ingredients for baking with a reduced level of salt.

“We are responding to the growing demand for low salt products in line with a move to encourage healthy eating,” said Dinnie.

The state-of-the-art business has come a very long way since Dinnie, who has a background in chemistry, started working from a front room in Cleobury High Street.

“We really have not noticed the recession – largely because we are specialised in an area where demand is growing along with concerns about the need for healthy eating.”

Dinnie said that the success would not be possible without the support of her “remarkable team”.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne congratulated Kudos Blends on its achievement and the £750,000 investment that it has made largely from its own funds into the new unit.

He said that it was great to see a company prospering and creating jobs at a time when so many other businesses have to cut back.