£236,000 grant will help butcher expand

Dec 12 2008 The Journal

CHRISTMAS has come early for a County Durham catering butchery business after it won a grant for an expansion that will create new supply opportunities for farmers.

Mike Fenwick Quality Catering Butchers in Newton Aycliffe, which supplies meat to hotels, restaurants, pubs and caterers, has landed a £236,000 investment to increase its capacity in a move to larger premises.

The relocation to Aycliffe Industrial Park in Darlington will mean the firm can source beef, pork and lamb directly from local farmers – increasing quality and offering products that can be fully traced for both catering customers and a shop within the expanded business. The investment will also help the company create new jobs and buy new machinery so it can cure its own bacon and provide a whole range of cooked meats.

Owner Mike Fenwick said: "We’re really pleased and excited about the move, which is the culmination of a lot of hard work over the last eight months and will set up the business for the future.

"With so many firms having such a tough time at the moment, it’s reassuring that we’ve been able to secure this financial support for a project that will create new jobs and help us expand our product range. Our orders are well up on last year and the Christmas rush is as busy as ever, so we’re looking forward to the move in the New Year."

The business is currently running at full capacity at its existing base, so a move to new premises is needed to enable future growth.

The new 10,000 square foot base on Hurworth Road will allow the company to make its production processes more efficient with larger fridges and freezers, new sausage-making machinery and meat dicing equipment to produce large volumes more quickly.

It will also offer new services including a retail section to sell complementary products from farmers such as jams, chutneys and cheeses and a meat counter. The relocation and launch of the additional activities are expected to be completed next year, creating a number of new jobs.

The cash is from the Rural Development Programme for England. Investment is jointly funded by the European Union and Defra, and is managed in the region by One North East.

ONE rural board member Ian Brown, said: "At a time when many businesses are finding it more difficult to access finance for growth, it’s fantastic to see RDPE helping a successful business to expand, creating new jobs and opening more opportunities for farms throughout the supply chain."