The contract was confirmed following a 12 month trial, during which PD Ports handled 50 percent of Taylors’ tea and coffee UK imports through Teesport on the north east coast.

The long-term handling contract will secure around 10 jobs.

The agreement means that the family business will save around 100,000 road miles per year by importing its tea and coffee through Teesport, as opposed to southern UK ports, which relied on further transportation via road to its production facility in Harrogate.

Keith Writer, commodities director at Taylors of Harrogate, said: “Not only does the move to Teesport help us greatly improve our environmental footprint, it also reduces costs.”

PD Ports revealed it has invested over £350,000 in upgrading two warehouses to store the products, including the installation of dehumidification and specialist handling equipment. The upgraded warehouses total 60,000 square feet and are designed to keep up with the growth of Taylors’ business.

PD Ports has also taken delivery of two new vehicles which will be dedicated to transporting the products from the warehouses to Harrogate.

PD Ports group CEO, David Robinson, said the new contract proves that the “portcentric logistics” concept works for a range of companies and products.

Commenting on the contract, Robinson added: “It demonstrates again that our decision to promote the portcentric logistics concept is a winning solution for further improving our customers’ supply chains.”

Edited by Darrel Moore

For more information about PD Ports and its development plans, visit the website.