14 Sep 2007


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Glendale Frozen Foods merges with Supreme Sausages

Source : Glendale Foods
Salford-based Glendale Frozen Foods, best known for its Yankee retail microwave products and Concepts foodservice arm, has merged with sausage production specialist, Supreme Foods, assuring the future of both organisations and paving the way for business expansion, with an immediate capital investment of £1 million.

Both firms already operated from the same Cobden Street site and the newly amalgamated company will benefit from an injection of senior commercial and production management expertise, an expanded portfolio of product categories and a sizeable investment in new equipment.

Reflecting the intention of diversifying into further retail and foodservice sectors, including chilled foods and convenience foods, it will trade under the simplified title Glendale Foods.

Within the merged structure, former Glendale Frozen Foods MD, John Mortimer, will serve as Chairman, with overall responsibility for finance and acquisitions; Supreme’s Paul Burkitt becomes Managing Director, managing the overall business; while his colleague Mark Jones is appointed Operations Director, handling day-to-day operations of the factory.

One of the board’s first initiatives was the acquisition of the Great British Pudding Company, details of which will be announced shortly.

“There were already tremendous synergies between the two companies,” says MD Paul Burkitt, “and the merger brings together outstanding market experience, with a broader product base. The plant has capacity for growth and, together, we shall be exploring opportunities for development of both sales and acquisitions. We feel there is considerable scope for a multi-category food business operating from a single production site, given the operating efficiencies that brings.”

Glendale Frozen Foods was established in 1985, originally producing uncooked beefburgers and grillsteaks, then moving to fast food-style pre-cooked frozen microwaveable snacks for the retail sector.

It consolidated its operation onto the Salford site in 2000, adding extensive production facilities and a three-storey office block, and two years later launched its Concepts food development facility, aimed at the foodservice sector. Its 40,000 sq ft food processing plant and coldstore can transform raw ingredients into cooked, quick-frozen product within fifteen minutes, producing upwards of 100,000 units daily.

Supreme Foods was founded in Spring 2006 and the Cobden Street sausage-making facilities provided an instant manufacturing resource for the start-up company. Between them, directors Paul Burkitt and Mark Jones brought over 45 years’ market experience to the new venture, Paul as a Director with Plumtree Farms and Freshbake Foods and Mark as General Manager of J T Blakeman and his own business, Jones Sausage Co. Backed by an efficient production facility, Supreme made rapid inroads into the wholesale sausage sector and built up a healthy export market amongst the Spanish holiday trade.

“Paul and Mark will bring an important new dimension to the business, helping to spread the management load, contribute fresh ideas and freeing up funds for investment in our joint future,” says John, “and our million pound investment programme underlines management’s commitment to future growth.”

Already installed is a new £160k sausage processing line, which will jointly benefit the Supreme business and Concepts food development service, while new £200k burger and meatball forming equipment, due in September, will strengthen both retail and foodservice brand offerings. Other factory improvements include the enlargement and updating of the primary processing area, investment in the on-line nitrogen freezing capacity, a new tempering coldstore, and external loading and despatch area.

With the acquisition of the savoury and sweet puddings business, Glendale will be active in four main food marketing categories: retail microwave products under the Yankee and Glendale brands along with own label products, raw sausages & burgers, baked puddings and foodservice cooked components. Although IQF (individually quick frozen) products remain at the core of the Glendale portfolio, the removal of the ‘Frozen’ tag suggests future moves into other profitable convenience food and foodservice sectors.

Further enquiries to Glendale Foods, Cobden Street, Pendleton, Salford M6 6LX, telephone 0161 736 8652, email info@glendalefoods.com

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margaret woods	19 Jun 2008 13:24:23
could you plase tell me where I can purchase your cooked frozen sausages. Regards Margaret