Avara Foods, the largest private employer in Hereford, currently has no plans to reopen its shop at Red Barn Drive, despite it being popular with members of the public.
When we last asked for an update from Avara, a spokesperson for the company said:
“We have no plans to reopen the shop to the general public but it is open and will stay open for Avara staff use.”
Last summer, signage outside the shop was changed to say ‘colleagues only’, with the old signage that advertised opening hours for the public removed.
However, the company is continuing to invest in its Hereford factory:
Avara Foods, a leading UK food manufacturer, and the largest private employer in Hereford, has invested around £2m in automation, people and packaging at its Herefordshire site, and over £4m in total.
At its Hereford and Telford processing plants, Avara has invested in cutting-edge technology to deliver its 2022 BBQ range. The new products can be produced with fewer, higher skilled people, less packaging and are easier for consumers to prepare and cook.
The automated lines pack a range of BBQ products, including dark meat and flavoured options, directly into a pouch. The new process, which features in-pouch marination, removes much of the manual process in production, increasing productivity and efficiency while reducing plastic use by over 60%.
The automation reduces Avara’s reliance on temporary labour at a time when the market is as tight as ever. “In previous years servicing volatile BBQ demand has meant a strong reliance on seasonal and temporary labour,” explains Andrew Brodie, People Director at Avara. “We know seasonal workers are in short supply, but this latest round of automation means we can manage people numbers through our normal local recruitment activities while ensuring a consistent supply of BBQ products to our retail customers. Now we just need the British weather to come to the party.”
The automation also means more skilled roles, creating opportunities for development and progression. “Replacing repetitive tasks with automated processes doesn’t remove the need for people”, continues Brodie. “The difference is that we need fewer, but more highly skilled people to keep that automation running smoothly, and we can recruit them from our local communities. It’s a completely different role and one that’s much more attractive to people who are looking for a career, rather than a job.”
Avara employees aren’t the only winners from this investment. The new products help Avara meet its environmental targets too. The pouches use more than 60% less plastic than traditional poultry packaging, contributing to Avara’s Science Based Targets for carbon footprint reduction and Plastic Pact promises, which include ambitious targets for plastic use. “Reducing the amount of plastic we use is a key benefit of these new products, building on the improvements we have already made in whole bird and portion packaging” said Sustainability Lead, Emily Phelps “Our insight consistently tells us that consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental impact of their food choices”.
The new BBQ production lines are the latest in a series of recent investments that demonstrate Avara’s commitment to modern food production, and closely follows a new £4.7m processing plant, which opened in Wednesbury in February.
“In recent years we’ve consistently emphasised the need to invest across the supply chain and this latest development is a great example of what we mean.” concludes Brodie. “We think it’s what successful food manufacturing will look like in the future: investment in productivity, the creation of skilled job opportunities for local communities and greater sustainability. There’s no doubt in our minds that the last 18 months has seen lasting structural change, and that successful businesses will be the ones that look forward, not back.”
