Natures Way Foods UK boosts performance with OptiCor

Natures Way Foods, one of the UK’s leading fresh prepared food manufacturers, has significantly enhanced its processing capability through the use of Sormac’s OptiCor lettuce coring and cutting technology. The company specialises in the supply of high-quality, ready-to-eat produce for major retail and food-service clients, and was seeking a solution to streamline operations at one of its UK sites. The following is a Q&A with Brett Beveridge, Engineering Director at Natures Way Foods, where he discusses the challenges, collaboration and impact of the OptiCor installation.

May 18, 2026 min Reading time

What challenges or problems were you facing before using OptiCor from Sormac?

The Runcton site in Chichester is focused on food-service production - primarily mixed-leaf bagged salads. It also produces most of the shredded lettuce used by a leading quick-service restaurant chain in the UK. To support this, the team must efficiently core whole iceberg heads to ensure the tough core is fully removed.

Originally, Natures Way Foods had a team of eight performing this task: removing outer leaves, following a specific pattern to core each lettuce, and then manually inspecting every head. Production volumes reach several million iceberg heads per week, nearly doubling during peak months. This level of manual labour not only represented a substantial annual cost but also posed ongoing challenges in sourcing and retaining a reliable workforce.

What made you choose the Sormac solution?

The OptiCor stood out for several reasons: it has a compact footprint, is easy to use, and straightforward to clean. Its unique vision-based technology optimises yield for each individual iceberg head, delivering greater consistency and accuracy.

Additional advantages included Sormac’s engineering expertise and its strong reputation across the UK and Europe.

Would you like to know what impact the OptiCor has on the organisation of Natures Way Foods? Then read the full customer case and discover the answer to this and other questions.