Surya Foods snacks plant to offer 30 jobs

By Rod Addy

- Last updated on GMT

The new facility can produce a wide range of own-label ethnic snacks for top UK retailers
The new facility can produce a wide range of own-label ethnic snacks for top UK retailers

Related tags Ambient Npd Training & recruitment Finance

Surya Foods is to create 30 new jobs at a £2m factory at Harwich as the company expands into dedicated UK ethnic snacks production for the first time.

The world foods wholesaler and manufacturer will supply top retailers from the site. Thai Dragon Sweet Chilli Prawn Crackers (100g) and Thai Dragon Thai Cracker Mix (100g) will be first off the production line. The products have already secured listings at Aldi and were poised to hit the shelves this week.

In addition to producing own-brand snacks for Surya Foods, the 900m2​ plant will also offer own-label services across a broad range of snack products. These would include mixed savouries; prawn crackers (seasoned with anything from hoisin to sriracha); savoury snacks, including corn puffs, hoops and chips, and spicy and exotic fruit, nut and seed selections. The company said the facility could handle classic snacks and flavours, spanning Indian, Oriental, African, Caribbean, South American and Mediterranean. It could also process Mexican cuisines, from spicy Bombay Mix and fiery Mexican chipotle flavours to sweet Caribbean banana chips.

Surya Foods already stocks and makes a variety of high-quality, authentic food products from around the world.

From rice to mainstream brands

“During the last 20 years, in response to the UK’s more adventurous culinary tastes, we have taken Surya Foods from rice production and world food importers to a major manufacturer of leading mainstream brands,"​ said Surya Foods managing director Harry Dulai. 

“We are passionate about authentic tasting food products and have poured all our expertise into this new facility which will enable us to produce some of the world’s favourite snacks right here in Essex.

“Our large frying and blending facilities mean we can offer a large product portfolio along with authentic bespoke, regional flavours to suit all tastes and target customers. Coupled with five packaging lines, and a highly experienced NPD team, we are confident we have a solution for any retailer out there looking to source authentic, tasty world food snacks produced in the UK, to high UK standards.”

Bespoke snacks

The factory is set in the firm’s 11-acre, BRC-accredited Surya Foods plant in Harwich and is capable of creating bespoke snacks, from concept to packaged product. It can also manufacture products to accommodate bulk buy, foodservice or retail, from bite-sized 60g snack packs to large 25kg formats, with packaging options ranging from pillow and self-standing bags to tubs and buckets.

In January 2019, the Surya Foods Group, which is headquartered in Harwich, committed to a £30m supply chain investment. This will cover a multi-temperature distribution centre opening in Colchester, creating 85 new positions, and the new snacking company and brand in Harwich. The company operates six other UK production sites.

Surya Foods is one of the largest suppliers of authentically produced ethnic foods to the UK food sector. It claims to have become the biggest supplier of world food lines into supermarket giants Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Morrisons, with extensive independent retail accounts across the UK. Products include Laila basmati and Laila Naturals, the recently developed plant-based extension to the Laila brand.

Surya Foods’ products are sold in more than 30 countries worldwide. It has evolving South Asian, Oriental, African-Caribbean, African and Polish ranges, which are popular with mainstream and ethnic UK consumers.

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