Adrian Wilson, business unit manager and head of UK manufacturing, said the new site was crucial to developing CP Foods’ range of microwaveable sandwiches, burgers and subs, not least because it ensured own-label volumes could be maintained in its original factory.
Wilson, in this exclusive podcast for FoodManufacture.co.uk, said the new building was completed in just four months.
He went on to discuss why the micro-snacking market was a good fit for CP Foods, which has traditionally operated in the own-label sphere.
“It makes good use of the proteins we already use and creates volume all year round,” he added.
Copycat brand
Wilson said he was determined the Taste Inc range wouldn’t be a “copycat brand” and that he hoped to broaden the consumer appeal of the category away from its male-orientated rivals.
Key to its success since its April launch, added Wilson, was the firm’s willingness to be open and upfront about calorie levels, and ensuring health credentials are at the heart of new product development.
“A lot of the research we undertook said women would be keen to eat foods like this, if it was more healthy and they knew how many calories it contained,” he said.
CP Foods has taken on 100 new members of staff to work in the factory, on brand management and in engineering roles.
Don’t miss a full Me & My Factory feature with Wilson in a forthcoming edition of our sister title Food Manufacture magazine.