Former Findus factory gets new lease of life

The new owner of a former Newcastle Production-owned factory, which made food under Findus's brand, began production at Longbenton last month.
The site was forced to shed its entire 420-strong workforce after administrator Zolfo Cooper closed it down in January 2009. Production had ceased previously after a fire destroyed the factory.
Since then the new owner, Longbenton Foods, has received £2M from the regional development agency, One North East. The money has helped reinstall on-site machinery to produce frozen foods such as fish fingers and crispy pancakes.
The factory is not operating at full capacity and only around 60 employees are working there, according to the firm. However, the new owners expect capacity to increase throughout the next two years, and by the end of 2011, it hopes to have created around 300 jobs. It wants the site to be one of the region's largest food manufacturers again.