A £4.2 million investment at the KK Fine Foods factory on the Deeside Enterprise Zone in Flintshire, North East Wales, is expected to create 90 new jobs and significantly boost capacity for production of frozen ready meals, soups, sauces and meal components.
Almost half of the financing for expansion will come from public coffers, as the Welsh government’s Economic Growth Fund is contributing a £720,000 grant and Finance Wales has authorized a £1.2 million loan at a reduced rate of interest, since the plant is situated in an enterprise zone.
“This is our biggest investment in the business to date, and enables us to take full advantage of the growing demand for our high quality frozen foods,” said Leyla Edwards, chief executive officer.
Produced by KK Fine Foods for J D Wetherspoon pub chain in the United Kingdom, this Beef & Pancetta Lasagne dish was a gold medal winner during the last British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF) Catering Awards competition. Two other KK products, Gluten-free Cauliflower Gratin Tart and Café Rouge’ Ratatouille Bake, also won top prizes. Ringing up sales of approximately £18 million last year, KK offers a wide assortment of products ranging from lasagne, pasta and rice dishes to pastries and pulled meats. Its customer base spans the food trade from restaurant chains and pubs to wholesalers such as the Brakes Group and retailers including Iceland and Aldi.
Noting that the company had intended to increase output value to over £30 million over the several years, CEO Edwards said the rising demand from supermarket operators for frozen Christmas meals and other seasonal products, as well as continued sales growth in its existing client base, called for expansion plans to be implemented ahead of schedule.
As well as creating an additional 10,000 square feet of manufacturing space and increasing production capacity both for ready meals and protein cooking, a substantial investment is being made in special equipment to supplement the company’s sous vide operation.
“The sous vide process is becoming even more popular with our customers,” said Managing Director Samir Edwards, “so this investment is a vital part of the expansion and we are looking forward to further developing our product range in this area.”
