As reported by Food Manufacture’s sister publication British Baker, the decision forms part of a restructuring plan actioned at parent company The Vegan Food Group (VFG), which will see it close its head office in York in order to focus on its plant-based factory in Germany.
The move comes only six months after VFG injected £650 into Clive’s Purely Plants, an investment that included the installation of a new pie line other equipment to increase production capacity at the 15,000 sq ft Nelson Road Industrial Estate facility.
Founded in 1986, the plant-based pastry maker had been using the site to produce its range of vegan-friendly pies, quiches, tarts, nut roasts, and savoury pastries for big-name retailers including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Ocado as well as independents, wholesalers, and some own-label products for supermarkets.
“Obviously it was a massive shock for the guys. There was a lot of hope with the new investment that came through, and various things had us feeling really positive,” site lead/factory manager at Clive’s Purely Plants Gary Baker told British Baker.
He added that his colleagues had remained “valiantly” at the site just before the Christmas period, producing around £500k-worth of own-label products for Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, despite knowing their jobs were at risk.
They were officially let go on 19 December, receiving redundancy packages. Baker and his chief engineer have stayed on temporarily to wind things down and keep the site secure, with initial talks on its sale believed to be underway.
Food manufacturing giant Samworth Brothers has reportedly offered to help to relocate some of the site’s workers to its own factory in Callington, around an hour’s drive from Dartmouth.
The nearby Job Centre has been also been engaged to help staff find new roles that are more local to them.
