Tulip invests in gammon and bacon production
The firm’s Cornwall operations director Ray Hanly said it aimed to expand its in-house butchery skills at its Bugle site, delivering a butchery apprenticeship programme together with Duchy College and Brian Etherington Meat Company.
Through the project it also wanted to increase productivity at its Redruth factory to develop its sliced gammon range and maintain its competitive edge in a challenging market, he said.
Cash for the £490,000 project had been topped up by £147,000 from Cornwall’s Business Catalyst Fund, said Hanly. The £5M Business Catalyst Fund is managed by Cornwall Development Company on behalf of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).
‘Centre of excellence’
“Our ambition to create a centre of excellence for gammon and bacon production in Cornwall is being realised sooner by this grant support,” Hanly said.
“The grant funding provided an opportunity to re-evaluate the direction we took to strengthen our market position and job security in Cornwall moving forward.
“We are also creating new career and training opportunities for our employees because we want to keep good people and give them and the local community a real sense of having a future with us.”
‘Increase productivity’
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership board member Andrew Williams said: “Tulip is a major local employer and this Business Catalyst Fund boost will accelerate its plans to increase productivity and invest in workforce skills development and new apprentices.
“The agri-food sector remains a key part of our economy and the LEP is committed to helping our bedrock industries innovate and prosper.”
Tulip employs almost 2,000 people at its operations in Bodmin, Bugle and Redruth and is a leading supplier to major supermarkets of high quality pork, bacon and cooked meat products.
