Cranswick
Employees from Cranswick Country Foods set off on a 115-mile round bike ride to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
The second annual Flying Pigs Charity Bike Ride saw the 25 cyclists set off from the Lazenby’s site in Hull at 6.45am, travelling to the Gourmet Bacon site in Sherburn, then on to the Gourmet Pastry site in Malton and finally back to the Lazenby’s site.
The riders hope to reach a fundraising total of £12,000 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
One of the riders, Mary Banks, category marketing and insights controller for Cranswick Country Foods, said: “It was a real team effort and although we are all keen cyclists, this was a very long route to undertake in one day. Thank you to everyone who generously supported us.
“Supporting local charities is important to us at Cranswick. We are proud to be a part of this region – we invest heavily in jobs and facilities, but it remains important to us to give charitable support and we are delighted to be supporting the Yorkshire Air Ambulance again.”
Pork processors Cranswick will make its first move into poultry with the acquisition of a fellow Yorkshire firm Benson Park.
Cranswick said the acquisition was in line with its “growth strategy” to broaden its product range, which was highlighted in May this year.
Adam Couch, chief executive officer of Cranswick, commented: “A key component of the group’s long-term growth strategy is to develop new product channels in its core UK market both in pork and other proteins. Today’s announcement represents important progress in that objective. This strategic investment moves Cranswick firmly into a new protein category with a well-invested business that has a strong presence, supplying premium poultry products, in the fast-growing food-to-go sector.”
As Benson Park reported strong profits of £41.1m for the year 2013/2014, market analyst Investec said this was a “sensible acquisition” and would make no changes to the “positive prospects” of Cranwick’s pork operations.
The takeover will see the modern, purpose-built facility in Hull, East Yorkshire, which employs approximately 90 staff, come under the Cranswick name.
“David Park, Managing Director, will remain with Benson Park, and we welcome David and his team to Cranswick and look forward to working with them to further develop the business,” Couch concluded.