Sausage firm celebrates export success

British sausages are being sold around the world in their millions thanks to the success of a Yorkshire-based meat producer.

Over the last two years, the British Premium Sausage Company has exported goods to Malta, Ghana, Qatar and Thailand.

The firm also supplies products to Portugal, Jordan and the Netherlands. Bosses say they now plan to secure contracts for new markets including China and Hong Kong.

Exports account for a third of the company's annual turnover, and the group hopes to win new customers after its recent exhibition at Sail - the world’s largest food and drink show in Paris.

The Bradford-based firm has also secured contracts to supply bacon and sausages to British soldiers serving in Afghanistan, Germany, Bahrain, and Gibraltar.

The company has hired three new members of staff to help cope with the growing demand for its produce, and plans to create another three jobs in the future.

Director Ian Cuddle said UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) and Yorkshire's Food and Drink Exporters Association (FED) had helped the company boost its exports.

He said: “We had always been interested in exporting our sausages, and in October 2010, UKTI helped us to exhibit for the first time at Sail. We weren’t expecting much, but we came away with a significant order from Malta - which is currently our biggest export market.

“Since then, we have picked up orders from around the world. I have attended a number of trade missions and shows, with support from UKTI and the FED, and we are getting enquiries from new markets all the time. At this year’s Sail, for example, we received strong interest from China, Hong Kong, and Mongolia.

“The bulk of our export business comes from retailers that supply British expert communities, who want authentic British sausages, and we are delighted to be able to meet their needs.”

The British Premium Sausage Company manufactures and supplies sausages to hotel groups, foodservice companies and catering butchers across the UK. Its products have won awards from Deliciously Yorkshire and the British Pork Executive.

Mark Robson, Regional Director of UKTI in Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “Food and drink exports from our region were worth an estimated £638m in 2011, and Ian’s story illustrates that there is clearly a global demand for high-quality Yorkshire produce.”

© Press Association 2012