DB Foods increases production capacity to meet rise in retail partnerships
DB Foods, has unveiled a new 15,000sq ft production facility at its headquarters in Dorset, UK, dedicated to product preparation and development for an increasing number of retail partnerships.
After the completion of an intense eight-month project, directors of DB Foods took great pride in welcoming guests to an official opening of its new factory in Poole.
After initial designs were presented in March, installation of the new facility began in July with a collaboration between DB Food’s engineering team and contractors, including bespoke machinery from local providers Sealpac. The project was completed in October, in time for its first contract of Halloween products for Aldi, which proved to be a huge success in store.
“The new refrigeration technology blew my mind,” said Dr Margaret Boanas, chairman of The International Meat Trade Association, who officially opened the new facility. “Using glycol rather than gas to reduce CO2 emissions is an incredible innovation to address the environmental concerns often levelled at the meat industry.”
Poole Ward representative for BCP Council, and Cabinet Member for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, Councillor Andy Hadley was also impressed. “It was great to see the operation, hear about the efforts DB Foods is making in regards to the environment and sustainability, and also learn of the new job and career opportunities the new facility will create.”
The factory, located in the organisation’s estate that now covers 25,000sq ft at Fulcrum Business Park in Poole, currently employs a team of 90 people which is set to rise to 130 by the end of January and has a potential up to 150 over the course of the next year.
“As an active supporter of Meat Business Women, I was impressed to learn about DB Foods’ ‘term-time contracts’,” said Dr Boanas. “It is such a powerful initiative that will encourage women into the industry by addressing the lifestyle and needs of the modern working mother.”
“At the heart of the new factory is the concept of an activity flow that increases efficiency and capacity,” explains Graeme Clapp, the commercial director at DB Foods. “We can handle product preparation for all types of recipe requirements, from the straight-forward to the highly complex.”
“We knew we complied with retail standards, but wanted to raise our game by meeting the demands of specific retailers (for example, replacing our loading bays in compliance with Tesco Assured) and environmental standards, both now and in the future.”
The space, which is a result of a £3 million investment has a projected forecast of a £30 million turnover by 2027, and members of DB Foods’ banking team at Santander were also present to see the project they had arranged funding for.
“We had been engaged with DB Foods’ development strategy since May 2023,’ says Ed Partridge, client relationship director at Santander. “After arranging the access to the investment required, we were delighted to see the realisation of such thoughtful planning and project management.”
“We would like to thank the guests who came to see our new facility and hear about the tremendous success we have earned over the past year,’ says Gary Smith, chief executive of DB Foods. “We cannot wait to get to work and see what 2025 brings.”
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