A Welsh food manufacturing company has secured a significant number of new contracts, increased turnover by £9 million and is creating 34 new jobs with support from the Welsh Government Economic Growth Fund.
A recent £3.3m investment by Winning Blend Limited, based within Llantrisant Business Park in Pontyclun, was supported by £300,000 from the Economic Growth Fund.
Winning Blend, trading as The Welsh Pantry, specialises in producing savoury products and ready meals for both its own label and supermarket own brands.
The major expansion has increased production capacity and efficiency and directly boosted turnover by £9 million with new business secured from Iceland, Aldi, Lidl and Poundland as well as additional business from Tesco.
The recent funding has also allowed The Welsh Pantry to invest in some of the most sophisticated bakery and packing equipment in the UK.
The expansion and new jobs have been welcomed by Business Minister Edwina Hart who today announced a £30million second phase of the Economic Growth Fund.
She said: “ It is great news to hear that companies like The Welsh Pantry are expanding, winning new business and creating jobs through support from the Economic Growth Fund. I hope to hear of many more success stories with the launch of the second phase of the Fund which has the potential to create and safeguard hundreds of jobs across Wales.”
Group Finance Director Mark Sommers said: “It is enabling us to deliver world class efficiencies whilst significantly improving product quality and consistency.”
Rory Gilbert, General Manager at The Welsh Pantry commented: “The expansion was essential to meet increasing demand for our products and as a result we have secured significant new business with a number of leading supermarkets with many more contracts in the pipeline.
“Our increased turnover is a direct result of funding from the Welsh Government to support our expansion and investment in people and equipment.”
The expansion will also benefit the local supply chain as Welsh Pantry sources ingredients where possible from local producers.
The Welsh Pantry brand is a long established company in South Wales and has been trading since 1988, organically growing the brand across the UK. The Welsh Pantry’s customers include Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, the Co-op, various national food wholesalers as well as independent convenience stores.