Jobs created through Scottish butcher’s Co-op deal
The £750,000 deal will see the Ayrshire, Scotland-based meat producer supply nine new product lines to more than 300 Co-op stores.
We hae meat employs 61 staff who are all local to the Ayrshire area.
Extending the range of products supplied to Co-op “has been on the agenda for some time”, said We hae meat director Carlyn Paton, who runs the company with husband Alex.
She said: “We are currently building a large extension to our manufacturing facility which is based on our family farm.
‘Capacity to expand’
“This is giving us the capacity to expand our supply contracts and product ranges significantly.”
We hae meat first began working with the Co-op in 2013 and supplied 50 stores across Scotland.
The ‘We hae meat’ range – created exclusively for Coop – includes Beef Olives, Peppered Steak, Haggis Olives, Spiced Beef and Diced Beef, all made using premium, quality-assured meat from the family farm.
Co-op category buyer for pies, quiches and savouries Steve Addison welcomed the firm’s range expansion and said: “We’re delighted to build on the success of our partnership with We hae meat.
“There is a real appetite for quality Scottish produce and We hae meat are a fine example of this.”
The company uses meat from its Cairnhill farm.
It operates from a purpose-built site that was opened in 2009 on the outskirts of the farmland.
Meat product manufacturer
The meat product manufacturer supplies hotels, restaurants and retail grocery and food businesses nationwide.
We hae meat’s range of products include pies, black pudding and sausages.
Meanwhile, meat processor Tulip earlier this month revealed plans to create more than 100 jobs at its King’s Lynn plant in Norfolk.
Tulip’s expansion plans will be a big boost to the economy, said Conservative North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham.
Speaking to FoodManufacture.co.uk, Bellingham said that the jobs would be well paid, and that Tulip was “bucking the trend in the food processing sector”.