FDBusiness.com

Petrow Food Group, suppliers of specialised ingredients to the food industry, has invested more than £4 million in an 80,000 sq ft factory and warehouse facility at Haverhill, Suffolk in England. The 7.2 acre site, previously purpose built for food ingredients, is now officially open as the group completes a rebranding following the 2013 acquisition of Quality Kernels. From this site, which has significantly upgraded the company’s processing and screening facilities, the Petrow Food Group will process dried fruit, coconut, date and nut products (excluding groundnuts) to meet the requirements of a growing list of clients in the UK and overseas.

Petrow Food Group is the new name for the business which includes Petrow Food Industries (PFI) and Quality Kernels.

“The new group combines PFI’s leading know-how in chopping, nibbing, pasting and slicing dried fruit with Quality Kernels’ expertise in processing and roasting of a full range of nuts and seeds in a peanut free environment,” says Graham Davenport, sales and procurement director of Petrow Food Group. “This is in addition to the Group’s trading activities of these products, therefore the Petrow Food Group can now offer the complete package of both the trading and processing of nuts, seeds, coconuts, dates and dried fruit.”

The group will continue with its blending and packaging lines at its Perivale site in West London where it has a segregated facility for the handling of groundnuts. All coconut and some date production will move to the new site in Haverhill during the course of the year.

“The strategy for the new site is to provide increased production capacity to support growth within our ingredient product and contract packing business, and to meet increased demand for our wide range of products produced in an environment that meets customers’ stringent health and safety standards,” explains Graham Davenport. The group’s new facility includes its own warehouse which because of its proximity to Felixstowe Docks brings significant cost and logistics benefits.

Both of the Petrow facilities have been granted and currently hold A rating certification under BRC Global Standards, the leading Food Safety Standard. The Group is also a member of the National Dried Fruits Trade (NDFTA) and Organic Farmers & Growers Associations.

“The standards ensure all legal obligations are fulfilled and confirm to our customers that our food safety and protecting the consumer are paramount,” adds Graham Davenport. “Operations at the new site are now up and running. Haverhill will now provide the platform to develop all our business sectors.”

Petrow Food Group supplies a wide range of dried fruit products to a variety of companies from blue chip companies to artisan manufacturers of chocolates, muesli, breakfast cereals, snack foods, ready meals, pickles, sauces and bakery products. The group offers customers in retail, wholesale and manufacturing a complete range of processing – pasting, chopping, nibbing, blanching, blending and packing services. It also offers industrial, foodservice and retail clients a major contract packing business. All production takes place in allergen-controlled and organic approved environments. All Petrow Food Group products supplied are fully traceable back to origin.