Tulip meat factory in Wednesbury creates 80 jobs

The company has invested £2.3 million at the 3,000 sq metres site off the Black Country New Road in the town.

Some of the jobs have been given to people who are relocating from its doomed Freshway site in Wolverhampton, which is to close at the end of June.

The new unit will produce barbecue, slow cooked and pulled meat products to meet growing demand for 'street' food and American dishes.

Chief Executive Chris Thomas said: "It is always good news when you are able to create additional jobs and the opening of this new facility in Wednesbury really serves to underline Tulip's commitment to investing in growth areas."

Tulip announced in March that 208 jobs were being axed at its Wolverhampton site after it failed to win a new contract to keep supplying sandwiches to The Foodservice Centre.

Mr Thomas said: "The emergence of 'street food' and the influence of American cuisine such as shredded and pulled meats have been really big news over the past 12 months and Tulip has been leading the way in bringing this type of product to a wider market. We expect to see this trend develop further as consumers continue to look for exciting food solutions that are packed with flavour and easy to prepare.

"The opening of the Wednesbury facility enables us to meet the rise in demand from both our retail and food service customers for slow cooked and pulled products, and gives us valuable capacity that will enable us, in partnership with HFR Foods, to bring further new and innovative products to market."

The group said it would be economically unsustainable to keep the Wolverhampton site running.

It had been a family business for nearly 65 years, when it was taken over by Parkam Foods in 2009 after it went into administration. Parkam, and Freshway, were then bought by Tulip in 2011.

It has installed new preparation equipment and large scale smoking ovens at the new site.

Tulip said that the number employed at the Wednesbury factory is expected to increase further as volume of sales grows.

The group is also continuing to see a rise in demand for its more traditional fresh pork products such as joints, chops and mince, having secured additional orders from customers at its nearby production facility at George Henry Road, Tipton, where it employs around 800 people

Tulip has 18 fresh and cooked meat sites across the UK, employing more than 8,000. It is owned by the Danish Crown group, which is the largest pork producer in Europe and the biggest exporter of pork in the world.