Bakkavor to recruit 100 staff at Bourne factory

Bakkavor is to hire 100 new staff at its factory in Bourne, Lincolnshire, as part of its nationwide recruitment programme.

Recruitment at Bakkavor-owned Bourne Prepared Produce would fill a number of roles across the business, including production operatives, team Leaders as well as other skilled staff.

Bourne Prepared Produce head of operations Jonathan Zair said: “This is an exciting time for Bourne Prepared Produce as we create additional capacity to meet increased customer demand.

“We have a number of different roles on offer and we look forward to welcoming the new colleagues to our team.”

The business is a major employer in the Bourne area with more than 1,200 people working at the site. The facility produces a range of products for the major supermarkets, including prepared leafy salad bags, fresh stir-fry mixes and prepared fruit. 

Employ an additional 1,000 people

The recruitment drive is part of a larger Bakkavor initiative across the country, which saw the producer employ an additional 1,000 people last year.

Bakkavor said the latest wave of recruitment was to meet higher demand from customers – particularly in categories such as fresh meals, pizzas, salads and desserts – as the company expanded its capacity. Bakkavor currently employs more than 16,000 people in the UK.

Bakkavor reports increased demand for:

  • Fresh meals
  • Pizza
  • Salads
  • Desserts

The prepared foods specialist also appointed Yvette Sowerby as its technical director this month.

Manufacturing and retail operators

Sowerby joined Bakkavor from Sainsbury, where she held roles as head of technical for chilled foods and subsequently head of technical for packaged foods. She has extensive technical experience with both food manufacturing and retail operators.

In her new role, she will be part of the UK operational team but will also use her expertise to provide technical support to Bakkavor’s US and Asia operations.

Meanwhile, Bakkavor announced last month it is to hire 40 new apprentices in manufacturing, engineering, development and human resources roles.

It claimed its apprenticeship scheme focused on the development of life skills by encouraging apprentices to get involved with local community projects and charity initiatives. 

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