Silsden-based Fourfold Mould-ings has won a major new £2 million a year exclusive contract to produce containers for a new drink for cider makers HP Bulmer Ltd.

Fourfold will produce over a million of the moulded glasses a week for the Leeds firm's new 'Sidekick' flavoured schnapps drink.

Schnapps in four flavours for the new chaser drink is contained in 30ml capsules moulded by Four-fold. They are designed to fit over the rim of a glass or the neck of a bottle, to make it easier for drinkers to carry them.

Current output at the Silsden factory is 900,000 a week, which is expected to rise to 1.5 million a week by the end of March.

Managing director Martin Wilson said: "We are absolutely delighted. The new contract is the biggest we have ever signed, and hopefully will take the company forward for the next three years. It has added £2 million a year to our turnover, to go with the £250,000 extra we have gained for various other products over the last six months."

The new drink is described as a range of single-serve flavoured shots designed to extend the choice range which drinkers currently have. Sidekick - available in vanilla, cranberry, grapefruit and sour apple flavours - is being launched into a rapidly expanding market, and has already received an enthusiastic response from the licensed trade.

To cope with the new contract, Fourfold Mouldings has already invested over £300,000 and taken on eight extra staff in the last six months. Two new Sandretto moulding machines have been bought, and a third will be delivered soon.

The new machines, together with dryers and automatic bulk packing equipment, are housed in a separate clean room in a former storage area at the firm's Howden Road site in order to meet the strict manufacturing requirements for a food product.

The mouldings are produced on 20 second cycles, and after bulk packing are delivered to HP Bulmer - who sponsor Leeds Utd FC - for filling and labelling.

Fourfold Mouldings was formed 40 years ago from toolmakers Fourfold Precision, which had been set up in 1946. It moved from Cottingley to New Close Mill at Howden Road six and a half years ago, in which time it has doubled turnover, taken on extra staff and moved into production seven days a week. In addition to two compression presses from its early days, the moulding shop now houses 20 of the latest injection moulding machines.

Moulding and assembly is carried out for industries as varied as audio, electronic, textiles, electrical and domestic. Some of the latest machines can produce glass-reinforced nylon components for the automotive industry and a variety of intricate parts for fishing tackle.