Meat products processor in management buyout
The change of ownership was welcomed by all the employees of the meat products processor, which is based in Enfield, Middlesex, and has gone through four owners in six years.
“The staff are right behind us,” said the firm in a statement. “There were cheers when the announcement was made because they recognise the future for Snowbird is in Enfield and they know they can contribute to an exciting period of profitable growth.”
Paul, who joined the business from school in 1981, said he believed the change would enable faster decision making and a more settled management style.
Profitable ideas
He and McGovern confirmed intentions to immediately pump money into Snowbird to capitalise on profitable ideas to develop its fully cooked and frozen sausages, meat balls and comminuted meat products.
“Foodservice buying groups, frozen food wholesalers and ready meal manufacturers like our ideas, our quality and our convenience and we will be able to give them more of that in the immediate future,” said sales director Roy Anderson.
When Food Manufacture visited Snowbird’s 2,044m2 production facility in 2011, Paul declared plans to fully automate packing and install travelling ovens, in which food is cooked as it passes along conveyor belts.
Ready meal and sandwich manufacturers
Half of the company’s product sales are generated through foodservice channels and the other half is made up from supplying meat ingredients for ready meal and sandwich manufacturers.
Paul and McGovern secured an undisclosed amount of cash for the management buyout from Cambridge and Counties Bank and from ABN Amro, which supplemented directors’ financial commitments to cover all other requirements.
Vion sold its UK poultry and red meat businesses to 2 Sisters Food Group in March after announcing the decision in November last year to exit UK food processing.
