Scottish ice cream brand Equi’s has marked its centenary with the official opening of its new £1.7 million factory and headquarters in Rutherglen.

The fourth-generation family firm has been making ice cream in Hamilton since 1922 when the business was set up by Pietro Equi. Now run by his great-grandson David, Equi's new factory is 45 times bigger than the original Hamilton facility.

Equi's produces about a million litres of ice cream annually, with turnover up by a third to £3.5m in the latest financial year. This is sold via more than 300 independent customers across Scotland and major multiples including Asda, the Co-Op and Morrisons.

The Herald: David Equi with his father RobertDavid Equi with his father Robert (Image: Equi's)

“When my grandfather Pietro immigrated to Scotland from Tuscany in Italy he started the small independent café that we know today as Equi’s Hamilton," David Equi said.

"Now into its fourth generation in the ice cream business, my family has continued this principle of using the best quality, locally sourced ingredients and to this day we only use fresh local Scottish milk and double cream for all our ice cream, which we get from a farm just along the road.

"Our new factory allows us to take our ambitious plans for production and growth to the next level.”