Esk Valley Meats will move production from Greenmeadows into the Bay Cuisine factory at Onekawa. Photo / Paul Taylor
Esk Valley Meats will move production from Greenmeadows into the Bay Cuisine factory at Onekawa. Photo / Paul Taylor
Esk Valley Meats says it is doing everything it can to hold on to its existing staff as the business moves into the factory of its parent company, Bay Cuisine.
Bay Cuisine acquired the award-winning Greenmeadows sausage maker in September, 2019, and is looking to combine operations into their expandedOnekawa site.
Chris Thompson, general manager of Bay Cuisine said redundancies were possible as part of the shift, although he couldn't comment too much as it is an ongoing employment matter.
"There are unfortunately a few double-ups," Thompson said.
"We are hopeful to bring almost all of them across."
After Bay Cuisine lost a large contract unrelated to Esk Valley Meats, a review of the whole business was triggered.
Thompson said this, along with the Greenmeadows lease being up, brought forward the decision to move everything into the same premises.
Thompson said Esk Valley Meats employs three or four people on the floor of its Greenmeadows plant, plus another staffer in the office, along with another three or four Bay Cuisine employees that work there.
Thompson said the move was purely about efficiency of operations and Bay Cuisine remains extremely proud of the Esk Valley Meats brand.
"This is simply a move to put it in a better facility, with better equipment, to better expand and grow the brand," he said.
Thompson said it made sense to move now the Onekawa expansion is close to completion, with new rooms featuring state-of-the-art machinery and equipment put in over the last 12 to 18 months.
Bay Cuisine's Onekawa premises have expanded over the last year and a half. Photo / File
"In recent times we've been looking at efficiencies to make the business work faster, smarter, and effectively have a better ability to create those products to a higher standard," he said
"[Esk Valley Meats] is not only going to be able to have better capability to be able to produce the products and produce new products but better capability to be able to get it out there in the hands of punters for their Sunday barbecues."
Thompson said Bay Cuisine sees the brand continuing to strengthen, and the strategy for it includes expansion geographically and in the product offering.
He said Bay Cuisine employs some 60 people nationwide, with about 50 of those based in Hawke's Bay.
Esk Valley Meats produces premium sausages, meat patties, meatballs and other small goods, and won two gold awards and a silver in the 2020 Great New Zealand Sausage Competition.
