faccenda

Faccenda Foods has entered a joint venture with Devon-based meat processor Dartmouth Foods, which will see it bolster its cooked meat portfolio.

The joint venture formalised a long-running supplier relationship between the two businesses, and would eventually enable Faccenda to offer a “unique proposition in the cooked poultry meat sector”, it claimed, by being the only UK supplier able to offer cooked British chicken, turkey and duck.

Starting with duck sourced from Faccenda’s Cherry Valley Foods division, the agreement will integrate cooked poultry productions into the Faccenda supply chain. Production at a new £10m facility in Plymouth will start later this summer, with cooked chicken and turkey lines due to start production later this year. The joint venture will retain the Dartmouth Foods name.

Dartmouth Foods was established in 1978 as a micro-smoker, and has since expanded into producing an array of cooked and smoked poultry and meat for the sandwich industry and direct retail including chicken, duck and goose, as well as pork, beef and poultry fats.

The arrangement would provide a “secure supply, clear provenance and deliver significant increases in capacity and potential for product development” said Faccenda in a statement. “By keeping the length of the supply chain to an absolute minimum, products can be delivered efficiently, making great quality cooked British poultry more accessible to consumers,” it added.

“This partnership will provide both parties with real opportunities for growth,” said Dartmouth Foods joint MD Nick Obolensky. “Being able to deliver products through such a short supply chain is a huge advantage and gives us the security and capacity to provide a unique range of cooked British poultry that our customers will like and consumers will enjoy.”

Working more closely with Dartmouth Foods and integrating its cooked operation into the Faccenda supply chain made “perfect sense”, said Faccenda Foods MD Andy Dawkins. “We believe that consumers will love the quality and taste of our duck and this partnership will enable more of them to try it.”

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