The facility, which is due to open early next year, will focus on processing pizza cheese and making poultry products, which is a diversification for the Hull-based firm.
The availability of a suitable labour force and the city’s location and nationwide communication links are said to have drawn the business to Bradford.
David Green, Bradford Council’s executive member for regeneration and economy, told FoodManufacture.co.uk: “What makes the district particularly appealing to food manufacturers is that we’ve got a bigger than average manufacturing sector so there is an attractive skills base and a large labour pool.
Seabrook Crisps
“We have a strong food and drink production sector in Bradford with household names like Princes Soft Drinks and Seabrook Crisps based in the district. The arrival of CK Foods will add to that.”
Omar Bhamji, CK Foods md, said: “The move to Bradford represents the next phase of our growth as a business and it is a very exciting time for us.
“We have developed a strong brand over the past six years and we hope to build on that in the future. We chose Bradford because it is well-located for access to suppliers and customers and provides access to an expanding and skilled workforce.”
CK Foods worked with Bradford Council and its development partner, Commercial Development Projects, to find a new base for its expanding food manufacturing business.
The site, on former derelict land, was bought with funding from Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency, and the European Regional Development Fund.
Bradford Council hopes CK Foods’ investment in the city, at an undisclosed value, will help to develop a broad base of food businesses in the area.
Green said: “The prospect of developing a cluster of companies connected to food production is one we hope will have a real resonance with the sector and act as a magnet for further inward investment.”
1,000 people
Morrisons has its headquarters in the city and “has a significant food production base as well, which employs more than 1,000 people", he said. Other major retailers in the area include Asda and Costcutter.
“There is also a particularly large Asian food industry in the district as well, including a number of well-respected restaurants and producers such as Akbar's and Mumtaz,” added Green.
Plans are also being drawn up for a further three industrial units, totalling 2,276m2, to be constructed on the same site as CK Foods' new facility.
CK Foods, established in 1985, supplies cheese products to pizza outlets and restaurants throughout the UK.