GRH Food Company has invested £6.5 million into a new factory in Wales, which will become their new site in 2018.
The move will create 50 new jobs for the cheese manufacturing company over the course of several years, with new openings starting from the new year.
New manufacturing facility
The new cheese factory is based in the Snowdonia Business Park in Minfford. It was partially made possible by a grant of £1.7 million from the Welsh government, and measures 4,041 metres squared.
They will be moving their existing operations from Y Ffor to the new facility, which will allow for a doubled production capacity. They will even be introducing a cheese innovation centre to come up with some new products or changes to their existing lines.
This means plenty of new food manufacturing jobs for locals or those who choose to move to the area. They expect that the new site will be fully operational from April 2018. The existing 70 staff at the company will be moving with the facilities, with 15 more expected to join during the year.
The Managing Director of GRH, Andrew Hockridge, said: “We have invested heavily in innovation, new product development and our people over the last two years and our success has meant we have reached maximum capacity at Y Ffor with increasing demand from customers at home and abroad. Securing the £1.7M Welsh government grant was a game-changer to support our investment at Minffordd. That will now enable us to grow from a £16M business today to potentially up to £50M and employing a further 50 staff, over the next few years.”
Government support
“Their contribution towards the Welsh economy is important and it is good to see that our producers are taking innovation and new product development seriously,” said Lesley Griffiths, cabinet secretary for environment and rural affairs. “Investing in its people is a huge benefit for any business and I certainly wish GRH Food Company every success in its new home.”
GRH was founded in 1989. They pack and blend cheese with more than 30 different products being produced in their current facilities. Their brands include Four Crosses, Signature, Pappa Ginos, Melts, and Original Welsh Rarebit.
If you have seen any of these brands in supermarkets, now you know where they come from! The company is well-established and has been doing well enough to make a move twice in their relatively short history.
They have been operating at their current Y Ffor site since 1997, so the opening of the new plant certainly represents a big change for the company. This will be a new step forward on their journey and will help them to expand the product range they are able to offer, as well as perhaps opening up room for new brands.
They have weathered the industry well so far, and bosses will be hoping that this next move will pay off over time. It’s a big investment, but the offset will be potential for much greater profit in the future. A close eye on their profits will be important over the coming few years.If you are interested in working for GRH, make sure that you keep an eye on our food job listings over the next few months and throughout 2018. It’s expected that the jobs will be announced in a slow trickle over time, allowing the company to expand without going too far beyond their limits in one go. In particular, the cheese innovation centre will need new staff who have specialised knowledge in this niche of the industry.
