MEAT supplier Bawnbua Foods has seen its business in the food ingredients sector grow by 50 per cent following an investment of £500,000 in its production facilities in Lurgan and Wigan.
The company, which supplies chilled and frozen meats to international supermarket chains and specialist food retailers, is now one of the few businesses in the UK with the capacity to offer both chilled and frozen pre-cooked meat proteins to the wider food manufacturing industry.
The expansion builds on previous investment in new specialist equipment which cooks meats ‘sous-vide’ – a technique that involves vacuum cooking food in airtight plastic pouches under water.
This latest investment enables Bawnbua - which employs 250 people at two sites - to supply a range of slow-cooked, minced and diced meats into specialist food manufacturing facilities making ready meals, pies and similar products.
Founded in 1985, Bawnbua has recently won a number of new supply contracts within the food manufacturing sector worth more than £2 million in sales to date.
The company, whose turnover last year was around £56 million, says it anticipates demand will continue to grow over the next three years as manufacturers continue to look for ways to reduce complexity in their operations.
Stephen Allen of Bawnbua said: “The food service and manufacturing sectors are continually looking for ways to innovate production and drive efficiencies within their businesses, and our portion-controlled meat ingredients offering enables them to do so by removing a key cooking process from their system.
“This as a highly strategic development for Bawnbua. It demonstrates how we are continually exploring new options for the business and are playing a key role in the food chain which must continue to innovate to cater for today’s increasingly discerning consumer.”
