Castle MacLellan fortifies factory with £5M spend

The firm, which makes products including Oven Roasted Mushroom Pâté with Garlic & Thyme and Chicken Liver Pâté & Scottish Heather Honey, added the cash would help improve storage facilities, amenities and services.

A spokeswoman for the chilled foods business told FoodManufacture.co.uk it was too early to confirm whether the cash injection would lead to the creation of any new jobs. That was because planning permission had not yet been granted for the planned alterations.

However, Elaine McConnell, general manager at Castle MacLellan, said: “This represents a momentous step forward for our business. It also demonstrates the confidence the Kavli Group has in the UK market and in Castle MacLellan Foods team.​

‘Major inward investment’​

“It goes without saying that without the teamwork, commitment and dedication of our Dumfries and Galloway workforce we would not have secured this major inward investment to the region.”​

She said the funding would enable the company to help safeguard future jobs in the area.

Castle MacLellan expects work to start on its production site in January 2014, with completion scheduled for September 2014.

Work closely with community​

It said it would work closely with the local community to keep them informed of its plans and to ensure minimal disruption to residents once building had got underway.

Castle MacLellan was set up more than 30 years ago and in 1997 was acquired by Norwegian food group Kavli. That business is owned by the Kavli Trust, which ploughs its commercial profits into global charitable activities.