Tulip invests £2.3M to create 80 jobs at Wednesbury
The meat processor said the move had been made in response to growing interest in ‘street food’ and US dishes.
It has installed new preparation equipment, large scale smoking ovens and a packaging line at the 3,000m2 site, which it acquired as part of its purchase of Parkam Foods in 2011.
Headcount expected to increase
The factory is initially employing 80 people, including some people who have transferred across from Tulip’s nearby Freshway Foods’s site at Wolverhampton. It has announced plans to close that plant next month, affecting 208 jobs there.
The company said it expected headcount at the Wednesbury facility to increase further as it increased the volume of food it produced.
Tulip stated it would be collaborating with sales and marketing specialist HFR Foods to identify additional routes to market for products manufactured at the plant.
String of investments
The Wednesbury development is the latest in a string of investments announced by Tulip in the past six months.
In February it revealed it had invested £37M to expand export volumes, with particular focus on China and in January it declared aims to invest half a million pounds in a centre of excellence for gammon and bacon production at Bugle in Cornwall.
“It is always good news when you are able to create additional jobs and the opening of this new facility in Wednesbury really serves to underline Tulip’s commitment to investing in growth areas,” said Tulip chief executive Chris Thomas.
‘Street food’
“The emergence of ‘street food' and the influence of American cuisine, such as shredded and pulled meats, has been really big news over the past 12 months.
“Tulip has been leading the way in bringing this type of product to a wider market. We expect to see this trend develop further as consumers continue to look for exciting food solutions that are packed with flavour and easy to prepare.”
Tulip had also continued to see growing demand for its more traditional fresh pork products such as joints, chops and mince, having secured additional volumes from customers at its nearby production facility at Tipton, he added.
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