Rice stick snack listed in 300 Co-operative Food stores

A BAKED snack made by Deeside-based Calbee UK  has secured a national listing with The Co-operative Food and will feature in more than 300 core stores throughout the country.

All four flavours of lightly salted soy & balsamic vinegar, smoked salt and szechuan pepper and sweet chilli and lemon Yushoi Snapea rice sticks will be in 21g handy packs on shelves offering consumers and alternative to fried crisps.

The company is the first Europian subsidiary of Japanese-based Calbee Inc, employing 20 people at Deeside Industrial Park.

Business unit controller for Calbee UK Catherin Fay said: “We are really pleased to announce our first national listing. We know that we have a fantastic product that provides a balance of great taste while also being better for you.

“Yushoi is a healthy alternative to fried crisps and at less than 99 calories per pack meets with the desire to choose snacks that are lower in calories, fat and salt.”

Meanwhile, the company has appointed Rob Hancox to the Deeside facility as factory general manager.

With previous experience that spans a number of categories and household brands including Ford, Heinz and Intersnack, Hancox will lead a team of colleagues as the company manufactures the first savoury snack to be made predominantly from green peas.

Bringing with him an excellent track record within manufacturing, engineering, project management and ERP system experience, Rob has all of the necessary skill sets required to manage the production process within the factory that secured £6.5m investment from Calbee Inc.

Managing Director of Calbee UK, Richard Robinson said: “We are embarking on the next phase of our development at Calbee UK and having the right people to support us on that exciting journey is critical.

“Rob joins us with a wealth of experience and knowledge not only of the snacking sector but also of the manufacturing industry at large. We are looking forward to taking the next step towards achieving our ambitions to become the most respected snack manufacturer in the UK.”

Hancox said: “The food manufacturing industry has changed so much in recent years and that makes it a really interesting sector to be in. Calbee UK is bringing real innovation to the market and with the investment into the new facility it makes my role all the more exciting.

“I’m looking forward to becoming part of a values led business that is focused on achieving its ambitions.”