Quorn Foods to create 100 jobs in the north as it invests £30m
QUORN Foods has announced it plans to create 100 new jobs across North Yorkshire and Teesside as it invests £30m to increase its production capacity.
The Stokesley-based company is making the £30m investment over the next 18 months to create a third fermenter at its Billingham site near Middlesbrough, which will boost the production of its products by 50%.
As a result, Quorn expects to create approximately 100 new roles, mainly attached to the construction and operation of this new facility. Once the third fermenter is operational and fully utilised, the company expects to take this number to more than 300 jobs at Quorn and its suppliers and partners.
Today’s announcement follows a sustained 15-month period of record-breaking growth for the company. Sales were up 13.5% in Quarter One of 2014 and UK and international sales grew by 12 and 21% respectively. Last year, the UK business experienced its fastest ever growth, with a 13% increase in total sales.
Kevin Brennan, chief executive of Quorn Foods, said: “While Quorn is now well established as a global brand, with our products sold in an ever growing number of countries, we’re proud to say that the nucleus of our operations remains in Yorkshire and the North East.
“As people are rethinking their meat eating habits and realising that 500 meals a year with meat is too much for our health and the planet, demand for our products has soared and we’re now in a position where we need to expand our production facilities.
“Not only will this additional fermenter boost production by up to 50%, but it will also create approximately 100 jobs, boosting the local economy at a time when it is most needed.”
Since becoming a private company, Quorn has made a number of strategic investments across the business to drive growth, including £15m in global marketing for 2014.
The North Yorkshire business has attracted more than two million customers since January 2013, taking the total to over 12.2m – and, for the first time, carnivores now outnumber its vegetarian buyers, it says.
The company, which employs around 600 people, exports to 13 countries, including Australia and the USA where sales over Quarter One of 2014 have increased by 24 and 42% respectively.
Market researcher Neilsen ranks Quorn as Britain’s 35th biggest brand – overtaking family favourites such as Heinz tomato ketchup, Doritos and Innocent.
Quorn’s core ingredient is a plant protein that replicates the texture and taste of meat. It is a naturally occurring fungus, similar to a morel or a truffle.
