Located in Billingham, the site has been expanded by 9,500m2 and will double production capacity of Quorn’s core range.
The facility is set to produce 1.33 million packs of Quorn products per week, equivalent to the meat produced by 1,600 cows, while the efficiency improvements the expansion will deliver will help the business continue to reduce its carbon emissions per tonne of food produced, already down by 35% since 2012, said the firm.
The upgraded facility is part of a £150m investment by Quorn Foods, driven by an increase in flexitarian and vegan diets.
Quorn Foods chief executive Kevin Brennan said: “We are the world leader in meat alternatives and have seen our business grow by 16% in the last year. We see decades of growth ahead of us as consumers respond to growing environmental concerns around meat production. We provide dramatic sustainability benefits compared to meat and, with this new facility, will enhance those benefits further. Sustainability is at the heart of our organisation and we are committed to ensuring we are being responsible with the carbon footprint of our business.”
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen welcomed Quorn Foods’ investment in the area. “Huge household-name businesses are thriving in this region,” he said. “Quorn Foods’ products are sold around the world, making it an important part of our export economy. It is just one example of how our skills base will help businesses and, with them, our region succeed in an outward-looking post-Brexit world.
“This new multi-million pound facility, which will double Quorn Foods’ output, shows the firm’s confidence in our area as a great place to invest and do business. It brings with it good jobs, better working practices and the potential for further investment – all central to our aim of driving forward a high-growth, high-wage, low-welfare economy.”
The expansion builds on Quorn Foods’ strongest ever year of growth, a £7m investment in a Global Innovation Centre at its Stokesley headquarters, and is part of the company’s goal to become a billion-dollar business by 2027.
