UK supplier of ingredients and ready-to-eat products, Beacon Foods has invested £6 million in a three-year expansion programme.

The supplier said that the investment has doubled the size of its manufacturing and storage facilities to 53,000 square feet and doubled its production capacity in preparation for ‘major business growth’.

The Brecon-based company, which has 130 employees, supplies food manufacturers, foodservice businesses, coffee shops, fast food chains and both the travel and hospitality industries.

Beacon Foods has increased its production volumes, capabilities and packaging options. New machinery includes kettles, a char griller and spiral oven and new packaging equipment to supply sachets and dip pots.

In a bid to boost its sustainability credentials, Beacon Foods has also invested in 1,428 solar PV panels which will produce up to 500,000 kilowatts of electricity. The supplier said it will use the majority of the generated electricity within its facilities and potentially export to the National Grid on weekends.

The increased production capacity has also prompted the company to upgrade its waste water treatment processing plant.

Two new storage tanks, with more than 430 cubic litres capacity, a new aeration system to increase the biological process and new filters that will increase potential discharge capacity to 150 cubic litres per day have been installed.

Chairman Edward Gough believes Beacon Foods is now perfectly placed to secure new business opportunities: “We have doubled our manufacturing capacity, invested in state-of-the-art machinery, enhanced our reputation for quality, safe products and personal customer service and have already secured more business this year, so the future looks very promising.

“We also believe that we are unique in being able to offer UK produced, bespoke recipes of ready to eat, IQF (individual quick frozen) chargrilled and roasted vegetables, which are both proving to be extremely popular with customers.”