Flatfish, one of Europe’s largest suppliers of lemon sole, has announced a massive £1.35 million investment programme to extend its Grimsby based processing factory, which it hopes will be completed this month.
As part of the exciting expansion plan, the company will be installing additional ‘state-of-the-art’ fish handling equipment, which has been specially sourced to make the factory one of the most modern and environmentally friendly in Europe.
The move by Flatfish to extend its existing factory, which previously scooped a plethora of food awards, has been caused by increased demand for the company’s internationally famous lemon sole.
Planning for the factory has been on-going for the last two years and the company has worked closely with North East Lincolnshire Council’s Economic Development Unit to attain planning permission and funding.
A big retailing plus for Flatfish is that it has worked tirelessly with over sixty skippers to establish an environmentally sustainable fisheries policy for lemon sole without over-catching. The majority of this fish is caught in Iceland and the Faroe Islands where the fish is environmentally stable.
The Grimsby based business envisages that 15 new jobs will be immediately created with a possible further 50 in the future. This latest investment brings the company’s total spending to £5 million over the last three years. As part of the investment plan the company now offers full product traceability from ship to shop
Flatfish is keen to state that all its future product developments will accommodate its policy commitment towards encouraging sustainability for all species. This includes, only purchasing whole lemon soles above 25cm in size in order to allow the fish to mature and breed thereby creating sustainable species for future generations.
