Industry award for Mornflake boss John Lea

A family man at the helm of one of the country’s oldest companies was honoured with a special award from the UK Food and Drink Federation.

John Lea, managing director of South Cheshire milling firm Mornflake, was recognised for nearly 50 years of service to the food and drink industry at the Federation’s annual awards ceremony, staged in London.

A trained chartered accountant, Mr Lea is the 14th generation of the family to run a milling operation which can trace its history back to 1675 when William Lea began milling in Swettenham, Cheshire.

He has served as President of both the British and European Oat Associations, the Association of Cereal Food Manufacturers, and as a Council member of the European Breakfast Cereal Association.

The Federation paid tribute to an industry stalwart who continues to evolve 340 years of independent milling and leads pioneering innovation into oat-based cereals loved worldwide.

It said: “John joined the group in 1972 at a time when the milling industry was still struggling to recover from the end of rationing and decades of lost investment.

“Through a focus on technological advance, product innovation and continuous reinvestment, he has evolved the group to be at the forefront of these and other food manufacturing disciplines.

“He continues to chair the company today and is joined by his two sons and nephew in the business.”

The awards are recognised as a benchmark for excellence in the food and drink industry.

They celebrate talented individuals who support the industry in improving the health of the nation and are crucial to developing innovative new products.

Mornflake, which mills products in Crewe and also has factories in Scotland and Wales, creates porridge, granola and muesli products which support the livelihoods of British farmers by using their oats.

It supplies to 56 different countries and its products are reached for in supermarkets nationwide including a new high-profile presence in Morrisons.

Mr Lea said: “The Special Recognition award was a tremendous honour which recognised not just my role, but the expertise of our millers and the whole team.

“Innovation is key and we strive to bring new flavours and textures to cereal-lovers who appreciate our unstinting dedication to quality and remain loyal to the brand.”

Mr Lea, a former High Sheriff of Cheshire and a serving Deputy Lieutenant of the county, welcomed Her Majesty the Queen’s cousin, the Duke of Kent, to the Gresty Road site earlier in the summer when a new Cereal Innovation Centre was officially opened.

The facility has been built on-site to upscale tasty new lines created in the mill’s development kitchen.

Mornflake is a major South Cheshire employer of more than 300 people and a long-standing sponsor of Crewe Alexandra FC and crowd-pullers such as the Nantwich Show and Nantwich Food Festival.

(Pic: Mornflake managing director John Lea (centre) receives his award from UK Food and Drink Federation President Gavin Derby and Chief Executive Ian Wright)