The Old Ballochmyle Creamery was established around 1890 on the Haugh of Mauchline, on the River Ayr, on the site of a former lint mill. A major re-build was undertaken in 1911. It was both a creamery and margarine factory.
The company was sold in the mid 1920’s (to Jurgens, later part of Unilever), but margarine production continued until after WW2.
Subsequently, it became a spectacles factory until about 1987.
Today the building is derelict and in a state of advanced decay.
A new Mauchline Creamery was built by SMMB in 1937 on a nearby site not far from the old creamery. This new establlshment and replaced a number of smaller units in Ayrshire
The Scottish Milk Powder Company built a skim milk powder factory alongside the Board’s cheese and butter producing units to utilise the skim milk and whey.
As at Kirkcudbright, this plant was bought by the SMMB ( in 1961).
In 1963 the first continuous butter-making plant in Britain was installed at Mauchline.
This was followed in 1972 by an extensive scheme of reconstruction and re-equipment, in which a Cheddarmaster and Condensing Plant were introduced.
In 1991 Cheddar and butter production ceased due to the refurbishment of Scottish Pride’s other site in Stranraer, with Mauchline continuing to operate as a small pre-packing operation.
Mauchline was refurbished in 1997/98 and opened as part of the Scottish Milk Products Joint Venture with Mclelland’s. The Joint Venture with McLelland’s was dissolved in 2007.
The site closed in 2008. Today (2020) it is occupied by a haulage contractors and a groundworks company.
