Express Contract Drying

Express Contract Drying Ltd (ECD Ingredients) is the UK's largest independent contract manufacturer, specializing in toll spray drying and powder blending services for the food and food supplement industries, with particular expertise in plant-based and vegan powders. With over 35 years of expertise, ECD operates eight state-of-the-art spray dryers across two sites and dedicated blending facilities, running 24/7 to ensure fast turnaround times, typically within 7-10 days. The company boasts an annual spray drying capacity of 6,500 tonnes and handles projects from small lab-scale trial runs (100g to 5kg samples) to large commercial production runs of hundreds of tonnes, supporting both dry and liquid blending as well as hot and cold mixing in jacketed heated tanks. ECD Ingredients produces a wide array of spray-dried and micro-encapsulated ingredients, including plant-based oils like avocado, coconut MCTs, safflower, flaxseed, hemp, and chia seed oils, as well as fruit juice powders, various vinegar powders, flavors, colors, vitamins, minerals, active ingredients, and nutraceuticals. They serve domestic and international flavor houses, color manufacturers, snack seasoning producers, and nutrition brands, providing comprehensive services from initial product development and pilot testing to full-scale industrial production. Committed to rigorous quality standards, Express Contract Drying has maintained BRCGS AA rating since 2018 (previously A since 2005) and is Kosher certified (KLBD), Halal registered (IFANCA), SEDEX, Ecovadis Rated, and FDA Registered. Recent investments exceeding £3 million have further enhanced their facilities, ensuring continued capacity and advanced laboratory analysis capabilities.