The Fresca Group has opened a new Evesham-based business, ValeFresh Ltd, a specialist packer and ripener.
The new firm operates from the group’s existing site on the Vale Business Park, currently shared between Primafruit and Mack Vegetables.
ValeFresh will manage the facility, as well as conduct contract packing and ripening for Primafruit, Mack and other new customers. Primafruit will continue to be an import and marketing company for stonefruit, grapes and kiwifruit, with office space within the ValeFresh facility.
Fresca is also set to make a sizeable further capital investment in the building, which will improve the layout, equipment and capacity of the 20,000 sqm facility.
Paul Fowler, who was previously finance and operations director at Primafruit, has taken over as managing director of the new venture. Jamie Marskell will become managing director at Primafruit.
Fresca Group chairman Chris Mack said: “This is a move to exploit the full potential of the Evesham site, to free Primafruit to concentrate on its core trading and to consolidate the group’s use of this important facility. We expect to grow the customer base across the businesses, and ensure increased productivity and profitability from the new structure.”
ValeFresh will begin trading from the end of November 2007.
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