Cleanroom Microbiology Supplier, Cherwell Laboratories, Celebrates 50-year Anniversary

Cherwell’s Golden Anniversary logo and Managing Director, Andy Whittard, who is son of Cherwell’s founder Lawrence Whittard.

Cherwell Laboratories, specialist supplier of products for environmental monitoring and process validation, is proud to announce that it is celebrating 50 years since its founding by Lawrence Whittard in February 1971, the same year and month that the UK went decimal. To mark the Company’s significant milestone, Cherwell will be running a series of activities throughout its Golden Anniversary year; including prize draws and website hunts for charity, as well as quizzes and competitions. It is also hoped that a gathering to celebrate with Cherwell’s many loyal customers may be possible in late 2021.

Over the years Cherwell has strived to continually improve its product and service offerings, enabling it to grow into a leading UK-based manufacturer of prepared media and supplier of microbial monitoring equipment. Cherwell’s long-standing success can be attributed not only to its high quality products and expertise in pharmaceutical and related industries, but also its strong focus on customer support and service.

The recent implementation of its new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system after a two-year investment is the latest achievement in this drive to deliver the highest quality products in the most logistically efficient manner to its many customers. Providing them with improved insight on lead times, order confirmations, product identification and specific delivery dates; the system also offers enhanced communications and future electronic delivery of key documents such as quality certificates.

Originally a veterinary diagnostics laboratory, Cherwell Laboratories recognised a need and started selling laboratory equipment to microbiology labs around the UK in the early 1980s. The Company launched its now internationally recognised Redipor® prepared microbiological media brand in 1981, following the establishment of Cherwell’s first manufacturing facility in Bicester, UK.  Initially expanding at its first site, the business then relocated to larger facilities in 2004. A subsequent expansion in 2012 means that manufacturing floorspace is now over 40 times larger than the original facility with capacity to supply its ever-increasing UK market and global distribution network.

This extensive experience in the manufacture of both standard and bespoke high quality cleanroom microbiology products has established Cherwell as both a leading supplier and adviser to the pharmaceutical sector. It fully supports environmental monitoring (EM), sterility testing and process validation applications, with its Redipor prepared media which is complimented by industry leading EM instrumentation for air sampling and monitoring. Cherwell has been the primary UK distributor of SAS air samplers since 1980 and even designed the Multi-SAS monitoring system.

Andy Whittard, Managing Director, Cherwell Laboratories, said, “I am very proud of Cherwell’s 50-year legacy started by my father Lawrence. Our focus on pharmaceutical microbiology and long-term membership and support of PharMig was first driven by his keen interest and capabilities in this area. We have built our expertise by working closely and flexibly with our customers to ensure we can offer them the best possible cleanroom microbiology solution for the effective management of their controlled environments and processes. Quality is at the core of what we do.”

“We are also very proud that our products are contributing to the Covid-19 vaccination program as they are being used for microbiological QC at some of the vaccine manufacturing sites. Given the promise of the vaccines we really hope to be able to throw a party later in 2021. In the meantime, throughout our Golden Anniversary year, we’re planning some fun remote activities that we will be announcing on a monthly basis. Watch this space!” Andy added.

Cherwell has created a special 50-year anniversary page on its website where all related activities will be posted throughout 2021.