Avara Foods has committed to Hereford for the long term, with significant investment in its site, manufacturing capabilities and colleagues. As part of a company-wide investment programme, its local operations are seeing improvements in factory technology, facilities and worker pay and development.
An investment of over £6.5m over the course of 2019 has seen a suite of new technology installed and production capacity rising by 100,000 chickens per week. The company says this is part of a wider investment programme at the site implemented to increase efficiency and productivity. Previous investments had established Avara Foods’ Hereford site as one of the UK’s most advanced food manufacturing sites.
Investment in Hereford isn’t limited just to equipment; with a starting rate of pay of £9.28 per hour, Avara Foods says it is making good on its commitment to be a people business first and foremost. Investment in new technology is also bringing new job opportunities, requiring new and greater skills. Connected to this, the company provides a wide variety of training and development opportunities, including apprenticeships that run from Level 2 to degree level, opening up new ways to earn and learn.
“Improving our operating infrastructure, increasing productivity and raising pay will improve efficiency, retain our valued colleagues and help make sure we are a sustainable business for the long term
“Our investment programme is great news for the city”, commented Richard Walden, site manager at Avara Foods, Hereford. “Improving our operating infrastructure, increasing productivity and raising pay will improve efficiency, retain our valued colleagues and help make sure we are a sustainable business for the long term. We offer a great range of employee opportunities, ongoing development and training, and we’re excited to welcome new colleagues to our team.”
“Our Hereford operations have been key to the company’s wider success, and will be for the foreseeable future”, stated Chris Hall, chief commercial officer at Avara Foods. “The site undertakes a significant amount of specialist processing and directly supplies some of our biggest customers. This investment is all about making sure this site is fit for the future and cements our place as the city’s largest employer. We’re looking forward to celebrating more successes in Hereford over the coming years.”
