Mackie's of Scotland

What Mackie's of Scotland does

Mackie's of Scotland is a privately held, family-owned food manufacturer headquartered on a 1,600-acre dairy farm at Westertown, Rothienorman, Aberdeenshire. The company produces real dairy ice cream and chocolate bars using milk from its own herd of 330 Holstein cows, with on-site ice cream and chocolate factories, in-house injection moulding of tubs and lids, and dedicated renewable energy generation comprising 3MW of wind and 1.8MW of solar capacity. Production is described internally as a "Sky to Scoop" process using a proprietary higher pasteurisation temperature and a low-carbon ammonia refrigeration plant, claimed to be the first of its kind in Scotland. The business has been under Mackie family ownership since the farm was established in 1912, with ice cream production launched in 1986 and chocolate production added in 2014; current leadership comprises third-generation owners Mac, Karin and Kirstin Mackie.

The company sells primarily through UK grocery retail, with listings across Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Co-op, Ocado, M&S and Iceland, supplemented by foodservice wholesale, a directly operated ice cream parlour (Mackie's 19.2) in Aberdeen, an e-commerce store, and an international export operation that ships to South Korea, Taiwan and China and contributed roughly 10% of revenue in the year to May 2025. Reported turnover for that year was £24.8m, up 11% year-on-year, with pre-tax profit of £2.31m, against a workforce of over 100 employees. The business holds Red Tractor, BRCGS, FSMA, Cocoa Horizons and Rainforest Alliance certifications, and a former potato crisp joint venture with the Taylor family was exited in 2022.

Name

Mackie's of Scotland

Legal name

Mackie's Ltd

Website

https://mackies.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mackie's of Scotland is a fifth-generation family-owned food manufacturer that produces real dairy ice cream and chocolate from its own 330-cow herd on a 1,600-acre Aberdeenshire farm, selling through UK supermarkets, foodservice, an Aberdeen parlour, e-commerce and export to Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Rothienorman

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ice Cream Retail Sales: Sale of real dairy ice cream in 1L and 2L tubs through UK supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Co-op, Ocado, M&S, Iceland. Major distribution channel with 11% rise in turnover to £24.8m for year to May 2025.
2. Foodservice/Wholesale: 5L Napoli tubs for scooping, 120ml mini tubs for catering, ice products for drinks. Supplies to visitor centres, entertainment venues, restaurants and cafes. Direct van delivery in local Aberdeenshire area.
3. Ice Cream Parlour: Mackie's 19.2 ice cream parlour in Aberdeen city centre offering over 30 flavours, sundaes, waffles, crepes, milkshakes. Seating for 40, operating daily. Delivery via Deliveroo.
4. E-commerce/Direct Sales: Online shop for chocolate bars, gift vouchers, merchandise and bundles. UK mainland delivery via Royal Mail and Evri courier.
5. International Export: Export to multiple countries including South Korea, Taiwan and China. 10% of total revenue. Dedicated export team with over 20 years experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Mackie's of Scotland manufactures and sells real dairy ice cream and chocolate bars, produced from fresh milk and cream sourced from its own 330-cow herd on a 1600-acre Aberdeenshire farm. The portfolio spans 1L and 2L retail tubs distributed through UK supermarkets, 5L Napoli and 120ml catering formats for foodservice customers, a chocolate bar range, and an on-site retail experience through its Mackie's 19.2 parlour in Aberdeen.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Real Dairy Ice Cream (1L and 2L retail tubs) Premium real dairy ice cream in 1L and 2L family-sized tubs made with fresh milk and cream from the Mackie family farm, sold through UK supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Asda, Waitrose, Co-op, Ocado, M&S and Iceland.
• Foodservice Ice Cream (5L Napoli tubs and 120ml mini tubs)

Quantifiable outcome

• 11% increase in turnover to £24.8m for year to May 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Taylor Family / Taylors of FifeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partnership launched in 2009 to create Mackie's potato crisps with Taylor family's potato growing and processing business in Fife. Scottish flavours like Haggis & cracked black pepper and Sea Salt were launched. Taylor family bought out Mackie's shares in 2022, relaunching as Taylors branded crisps in 2023.
• The Cress CompanyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWholesale distribution partner for Mackie's chocolate bars. Chocolate available through The Cress Company alongside direct webshop.
• DeliveroominorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDelivery partner for Mackie's 19.2 ice cream parlour enabling home delivery of parlour products in Aberdeen area.
• Various Major WholesalerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMultiple major wholesalers distribute Mackie's 5L Napoli ice cream tubs to foodservice customers. Mackie's is packed in cases of 4 and available direct from Mackie's and via several major wholesalers.
• Cocoa HorizonsminorOthersImpact-driven certification programme for milk chocolate cocoa sourcing, focused on cocoa farmer prosperity, self-sustaining farming communities, nature protection and child welfare.
• Rainforest Alliance & UTZminorOthersCertification for dark chocolate cocoa mass requiring good agricultural practices, farm management, safe working conditions, addressing child labour and forced labour, and environmental protection.
• NissanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership creating 'Sky To Scoop' Zero-emission Electric Ice Cream Van for Clean Air Day. Nissan created 'WHIP-E' van in partnership with Mackie's generating worldwide interest.
• LelycoreTechnology or IntegrationSupplier of robotic milking machines (voluntary access milking system) enabling cows to milk themselves. Five Lely robots installed with collar-based monitoring for health and milk quality.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Jude's Ice Cream: UK premium real-dairy ice cream brand with similar positioning around natural ingredients, family provenance, and listings in major UK grocers. Closest direct UK private competitor in the premium-tub segment.
• R&R Ice Cream (Froneri): UK and Europe-based ice cream manufacturer owned by Froneri (Nestlé/R&R joint venture) producing both branded and private-label products. Direct competitor in UK ice cream manufacturing, foodservice tubs, and private-label supply.
• Hotel Chocolat: UK premium chocolate maker/retailer with strong farm/provenance positioning, multiple product lines, and own-brand retail. Comparable on Mackie's chocolate-side: vertically integrated, sustainability-led, premium-positioned UK CPG confectionery.

Broad incumbents

• Häagen-Dazs: Global super-premium ice cream brand (owned by General Mills under Nestlé license in some regions). Occupies the same premium-tub shelf as Mackie's and serves as the dominant industry benchmark for pricing.
• Ben & Jerry's: Unilever-owned super-premium ice cream brand with strong UK retailer presence and similar real-dairy, indulgent-positioning cues (mix-ins, branded storytelling). Competes head-to-head at the premium end of the fixture.
• Wall's (Unilever): Iconic UK ice cream incumbent (Unilever) with deep distribution across grocery, impulse, and foodservice. Relevant broad incumbent competitor in the UK mainstream tubs segment where Mackie's premium tubs compete for premium shelf.

Regional players

• Kelly's of Cornwall (Froneri): Heritage UK dairy ice cream brand (now under Froneri) with cornettas and tub formats. Comparable as a UK regional-branded dairy ice cream competitor supplied through similar grocery and foodservice channels.

Emerging players

• Northern Bloc: UK craft ice cream maker focused on natural ingredients and innovative flavours. Comparable emerging UK premium-craft player pursuing similar wholesale and grocery listings.
• Oppo Brothers: UK premium indulgent ice cream brand with a positioning around 'better-for-you' and clean ingredients. Comparable emerging player in the UK premium-tub aisle.
• Booja-Booja: UK maker of dairy-free chilled desserts, chocolates and ice cream using premium plant-based ingredients. Comparable emerging player on the indulgent-treat category adjacency to Mackie's range.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights9 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/mackiesofscotland
• Instagraminstagram.com/mackies19.2
• Xx.com/mackiesscotland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mackie's of Scotland