East Yorkshire poultry supplier Soanes has completed the first phase of a major £1.6m expansion project.
The nationwide chicken supplier, based near Driffield, is currently undergoing a factory extension as it looks to increase capacity and take on new staff.
Phase one of Soanes’ expansion – a £400,000 project to increase chill capacity at the facility – is now completed.
Nigel Upson, managing director at Soanes Poultry, said: "In addition to the infrastructure projects completed in 2017/18, the extension project will enable us to increase whole bird processing and expand our portioning capacity in response to customer needs and the completion of the chiller is an important step.
“It is a state-of-the-art chiller with high efficiency cooler controls and a robust leak detection system that protects the environment.
"It's a significant investment that marks a new and exciting chapter in our history and goes hand in hand with work that is underway to upgrade our farms to develop further our high animal welfare standards."
Work began on the £400,000 project in September 2018 and will increase chill capacity at the Middleton on the Wolds factory by 25 per cent.
The factory extension project is part funded by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development, with a £610,000 grant secured by Westley Consulting.
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Work will start on phase two of the project will start in January 2020. Once completed, it will create 15 additional jobs in the sales and marketing, processing and distribution departments.
Soanes Poultry is a family owned business which has been rearing and preparing chicken since 1947.
It currently employs 120 people and sells its chicken to butchers and independent retailers in Yorkshire and to wholesalers nationwide.
Soanes recently announced it had secured new business with the Provenance Inns and Hotel chain, and will deliver chickens to the group’s seven Yorkshire sites.
It came as a coup for Soanes, which has its products in stockists across East Yorkshire and beyond.
Soanes will supply a range of its Great Taste award-winning whole and portioned chicken which will go into dishes including Chicken and Yorkshire Chorizo Terrine; Roast Chicken Breast with Bombay mix, Saag Aloo, Spiced Mango and Cauliflower and a modern twist on a Chicken Kiev.
Jason Wardrill, head chef at Provenance, said: "We came across Soanes Poultry when we were looking for a supplier of exceptionally tasty chicken who shared our own passions for farming, horticulture and locally sourced food.
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"We were ideally looking for a family farmer who produced high quality chicken with known provenance, so when we learned that Soanes not only rear their own chicken, but they grow the cereals to feed them, we knew that they were the perfect supplier.”
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