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Avara Foods completes £6.5m investment at Hereford site
Over the course of 2019, Avara Foods has invested £6.5m in its Hereford site, manufacturing capabilities and employees.
As part of a company-wide investment programme – implemented to increase efficiency and productivity – its local operations are seeing improvements in factory technology, facilities and worker pay and development.
The significant investment has seen the installation of a suite of new technology and production capacity rising by 100,000 chickens per week. Previous investments had established the Hereford facility as one of the UK’s most advanced food manufacturing sites: a title that will continue long into the future following completion of the latest developments by the end of this year.
Avara Foods has invested over £6.5m in new technology at its Hereford factory / Picture: Avara Foods
Investment in Hereford isn’t limited just to equipment. The company provides a wide variety of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships; a starting pay rate of £9.28 per hour; and new job opportunities, requiring new and greater skills, that have been created by its investment in new technology.
Richard Walden, site manager at Avara Foods Hereford, said: “Our investment programme is great news for the city. Improving our operating infrastructure, increasing productivity and raising pay will improve efficiency, retain our valued colleagues and help make sure we are a sustainable business for the long term. We offer a great range of employee opportunities, ongoing development and training, and we’re excited to welcome new colleagues to our team.”
Chris Hall, chief commercial officer at Avara Foods, added: “Our Hereford operations have been key to the company’s wider success, and will be for the foreseeable future. The site undertakes a significant amount of specialist processing and directly supplies some of our biggest customers. This investment is all about making sure this site is fit for the future and cements our place as the city’s largest employer. We’re looking forward to celebrating more successes in Hereford over the coming years.”
Avara Foods, a joint venture between Cargill and Faccenda Foods, is one of the UK’s largest food businesses, supplying chicken, turkey and duck to retailers, food service and food manufacturers. Established in 2018, Avara Foods operates a fully integrated supply chain, across agriculture, processing and distribution, that employs around 6,000 people.