North Yorkshire sausage brand expands with £3.5m vertical farm investment

A North Yorkshire sausage manufacturer is set for further growth following a multi-million pound investment into its facilities.

HECK! Food, based at Kirklington near Bedale, is doubling manufacturing capacity by completing a £3.5m expansion of its site including building a vertical farm.

The company, founded by The Keeble family in 2015, says the expansion will allow for up to one million sausages a day, helping it achieve its goal of £100m turnover by 2025.

HECK! co-founder Jamie Keeble explained: “We’re… really excited by the installation of the vertical farm on site – it’s literally a world first! We are farmers turned producers, my brother and grandad still farm the 800 acres around the HECK! HQ and they are fascinated as the unit are the future of farming!

“We will be the first food brand in the world to grow herb and vegetables onsite to put into our popular meat and vegan italia range. There are huge benefits to vertical farming. No pesticides or herbicides, less water and food waste, no transport, more efficient production, taste control and better shelf life.

“Micro-nutrients will also provide fantastic health benefits as well as giving us a unique selling point. We are farmers originally and it’s really exciting to now be investing in the future of sustainable, cutting-edge agriculture and not relying on imports.”

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