The site, Cavaghan & Gray, will see the addition of a state-of-the-art vegetable processing facility with new cooling tunnels, steam-injected kettles for cooking and cooling sauces, new coating systems and two new automated packing lines.
It currently employs 1,250 staff, and the 200 new roles will be in operational, technical and supply chain positions.
The £7m investment and jobs come after the business won a major contract with Marks & Spencer (M&S) to expand its product range. There will be 30 new products created at the site, with a focus on gastro and fish meals with vegetables.
Ronald Kers, 2 Sisters Food Group CEO, said: “Our vision is to create a truly world-class business that is trusted to deliver, so we are delighted such a prestigious customer as M&S recognises and values us as a reliable partner, with the ability to create quality food, for the right price in a sustainable and transparent way.
“Delicious, healthy, convenient and affordable food is increasingly being sought by consumers and our business can work extremely closely with customers like M&S to create own-label brands that truly differentiate themselves from competitors.”
William Duncanson, meal solutions business unit director, added: “The team here at Cavaghan & Gray are enormously hard-working and this investment will allow us continue doing what we love, producing tasty, high-quality food that customers love.
“We are extremely proud to have worked closely with M&S for many years and to have been trusted with the production of even more exciting food ranges. We take a huge amount of pride in creating their quality products.”
Kate Stein, head of food technology at M&S, said: “We are transforming our supply base to create a faster, more commercial network, which will improve value and availability for our customers. The new site extension at Carlisle will help us react more quickly to consumer tastes and develop and deliver great-quality, innovative products to market.”
