A family owned meat processing business in Cornwall is going from strength to strength after receiving help and support from Business Link.

Kensey Vale Meats Ltd, based in Launceston has increased its productivity and number of employees after receiving essential investment which allowed it to relocate to bigger premises. The company which started up in 1997 first went to Business Link three years ago for help towards investing in more modern fridges and cutting, slicing and processing equipment. As a direct result, the business' turnover increased by 25% and the rise in productivity was such that Kensey Vale Meats was soon looking to expand into bigger premises.

One of the company directors, Mark Pearce said: "From a modest start of just 5 employees, we now employ 25 full time people which we hope to see increase by a further 5 full time posts in the near future. The help from Business Link was a very big contributory factor in our rate of growth; their help initially provided the firm with more modern, safer equipment and then made it possible for us to move into the new facilities. We now have 5000 sq ft of processing space on Pennygillam Industrial Estate to head up our operations. It's really brought us into the 21st century and given us the foot up we needed to develop our business."

Kensey Vale Meats processes and distributes meat to high quality independent butchers, farm shops and bakeries throughout Devon and Cornwall. As well as meat cuts, the company also manufactures high quality sausages, bacon and burgers. A popular speciality product is the old fashioned dry-cured bacon.

Wherever possible the company tries to source its supplies locally and it works in association with dedicated local pig and beef farms such as Mr Bray of Bude.

Mark continued: "The whole process of going through the grant funding was made very easy. The people from Business Link have been excellent and I'd definitely go back to them in the future. They weren't just there to do the paper work, you felt that they had a genuine interest in the business and seeing it succeed. I recently read an industry report by Plimsoll Research which said that at the moment around 65% of meat companies were either not making money or were losing money but with the help and support of Business Link we're happy to be in the other 35%."

Manager of Business Link's Food and Drink Program, Graham Woolcock, said: "The new premises have really provided Kensey Vale with the space and opportunity the business needed in order to grow. The new site and equipment are making it a more efficient and profitable company and a better environment to work in. This family run company is now a substantial employer in the area and hopefully we'll be seeing that increase further in the future."

For further information please contact press officer Maxine McAdams on               01566 771862        or email: mmcadams@marketing-pr.co.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in Business Link through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

Anyone considering a new horticulture, food and land based industries project is advised to speak with Maria Ford, at Government Office South West -               01752 635015        - before commencing development as there are now only limited funds available due to the successful uptake of funding by the agricultural sector in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.