Speaking to Food Manufacture, sales director Dean Andrews said the investment was made to increase its product offering.
“The project has been in scope for the past 18 months, with work commencing in spring 2017. Since opening for business in May 2014, the business has expanded steadily as has our customer base, [so] the expansion has been accelerated to meet the demands of both our existing and prospective customers.
“We have invested circa £5m in an expansion on our existing site, increasing our scale by 24,000ft2. Our new production facility give us the capability to mince and slice a wide variety of products. We have been working with Reiser on the equipment purchase and installation plan and aim to be fully operational from May 2018.”
‘Comprehensive range’
Andrews explained the long-term goal for the business. “Our aim is to become fully integrated as a meat processor and be in a position to offer our customers both old and new a comprehensive range of beef products from primal cuts through to added value lines.
“Our longer-term goal is to create successful partnerships in the foodservice and B2B sectors as a beef solutions provider utilising our production capabilities on site.”
As well as investing in expanding its site, Pickstock is also set to launch a new foodservice range.
“We will be launching our new range of foodservice products incorporating primal cuts, hand-cut steaks, minced beef and fresh burgers,” said Andrews. “Our range is specifically tailored to food manufacturers and foodservice operators in the pub and restaurant sectors.
‘Innovation’
“Our approach is very much solutions-led, with a firm focus on product innovation and inspiration across the beef category. The team of foodservice specialists have vast experience in building successful foodservice and B2B products for our customers. Our aim is to be the ‘go to’ business on all things beef.”
Pickstock will officially launch the new foodservice range and prime brand at the Foodex show in April.
Andrews added: “In addition to this we will also ‘hit the road’ in 2018 with a series of regional beef masterclasses throughout the UK to showcase our new range and quality. There are also exciting plans in place to open our own centre of excellence in late 2018, which will allow us to work closer with our farmer suppliers and key customers in developing stronger sustainable relationships together with increased transparency throughout the food supply chain.”