A GROWING Keighley chemical company has opened a new warehousing facility.

The 6,000sqft development will enable The Friendly Chemical Co to boost production levels to meet soaring demand.

Its latest expansion takes the firm's footprint to 10,000sqft across three units.

The company, based in Parkwood Street, manufactures and supplies products for the domestic household and personal care markets.

The new site will house a state-of-the-art bulk chemical blending facility and will be home to the technical and production team, which has grown from five to 17 over the past six months.

Up to 300,000 litres of product can now be blended monthly, doubling production levels of the award-winning Miniml cleaning range.

And the new facility will allow The Friendly Chemical Co to extend its closed loop system, which creates a fully zero waste supply chain.

Empty packaging – from single bottles to 200-litre steel drums – is collected from customers, cleaned and refilled on the production line.

Customers can also access refill stations across the country.

The Friendly Chemical Co was founded in 2017 by a young entrepreneurial team led by Scott Rudd and Emma Tapper, who devised the concept after meeting at the University of Liverpool.

The firm saw its revenues soar by a massive 283 per cent – to £710,000 – in the year ended March 31, and now it is targeting £3 million by 2022.

It was also recently recognised for its leading environmental credentials, in the UK’s Ethical Consumer Guide, being awarded ‘best buy’ status.

Emma said: "We’re coming to the close of an incredible year for the team and as we continue to grow, we needed the space to do so.

"As we looked to create new roles within the technical and production teams, growing our footprint was key. We wanted to maintain our Keighley roots, to keep the business Yorkshire born and bred, and we’re delighted with how the site expansion has gone.

"It’ll enable us to quickly ramp-up production and maintain the demand we’re currently experiencing for our ranges. Consumers are keen to make small switches to have a greener lifestyle, whether that’s in the products they use or the companies they support. Sustainability is at our core of The Friendly Chemical Co – and we want to share this with customers."