Pilgrim’s Pride Ltd secures a new long-term agreement with Aldi to supply fresh pork products from its King's Lynn site
A Lynn meats facility has secured a major long-term deal with a national retailer creating 30 new jobs with more expected to follow.
Pilgrim's Pride Ltd, the new name for Tulip Ltd since August, has sealed a deal with Aldi to supply fresh pork products from its site on Hardwick Narrows Estate.
The agreement will run until 2025 and will cover a range of fresh packaged hams for Aldi, including wafer thin honey roast ham, cooked ham slices and premium thick cut oak smoked and honey roast ham products.
Pilgrim's Pride regards its Lynn operation as a "cooked meat centre of excellence" and was chosen as the ideal facility for the discounter to use for its fresh ham range.
As well as the additional 30 new roles created, there is also scope for further recruitment when volumes increase in 2021, according to Pilgrim's. The site is conducting several training sessions for current staff to ensure they are ready to begin production.
Andrew Cracknell, CEO at Pilgrim’s Pride, said: “This agreement represents a significant milestone on our journey to become the best and most respected company in our industry.
"With this new partnership, Aldi has bought into our unrivalled farming base and supply chain, the capabilities and credentials of our factories, and the expertise and passion of our team. We look forward to growing the relationship further in the years ahead.”
Andy Shepherdson, site director at Pilgrim’s Lynn site said: “This is fantastic news for the site and for the local area, securing our future for years to come. We have an enthusiastic and hard-working team here and as volumes increase in the next few months, there will be further recruitment opportunities to come.
"We’ll be creating a delicious range of products and I know our colleagues will be very proud to see them stocked on Aldi’s shelves when they next visit.”
Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, said: “Offering our customers great quality British food at unbeatable prices is what our business is built on. We can only do that by working with the best farmers, growers and producers the UK has to offer, which is why we’re thrilled to announce this new partnership with Pilgrim’s Pride Ltd.”
Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation acquired Tulip Ltd in October 2019 and the change in corporate identity is the latest step in the company’s integration programme.
