Family pork producers Robertson’s Fine Foods of Ayrshire has secured its first listing with Morrisons.
The range – which features Pork Sausages, Pork Chipolatas and Cracked Black Pepper Sausages, all made from Scottish Farm Assured and Scottish SPCA approved pork – is now available in 35 Morrisons stores across Scotland.
The deal is worth £50,000 to the firm in its first year.
Morrisons first announced the search for local food and drink makers in February after research found that customers want to see more food and drink made and produced ‘just down the road’ from their communities.
Established in 1870, Robertson’s Fine Foods of Ayrshire is one of Scotland’s biggest sausage and bacon producers, employing 90 people across its two sites in Irvine and Ardrossan.
The Morrisons deal follows the opening of the firm’s second factory which began production in March 2017.
The £3 million food processing plant was supported by investment from parent company John Robertsons & Sons and a six-figure grant from Scottish Enterprise.
The new Irvine-based unit is helping the business increase capacity, support its existing customer base and expand into new supply chains; such as Morrisons.
Barry Robertson, Head of Commercial and the fifth generation of Robertson’s Fine Foods of Ayrshire said: “Our Scotland-wide listing with Morrisons is a huge win for Robertson’s and a fantastic way to round off a busy 2017.
“Our range of sausages is underpinned by craft butchery skills and traditional recipes that have been handed down through five generations of the Robertson family.
“However, it’s our partnership with Scottish pig farmers that we are most proud of. Working in this way enables us to support other family businesses throughout the supply chain while offering full traceability and quality to our customers.”
Chris Beckingham, Morrisons Local Solutions Manager said: “Our customers tell us they want to see more food and drink produced locally in our stores and our foodmakers programme aims to do just that. Sourcing more local food and reducing the distance food travels is a priority for Morrisons so we’re delighted that Robertson’s Fine Foods of Aryshire is going to be stocked in some of our local stores.”
