Member Article

Food production firm invests £500k in South Shields HQ

South Shields food supplier Punjab Kitchen is investing £500k into its premises to expand its production capabilities.

Supplying NHS hospitals and care homes with pureed replicas of meals, the firm helps patients across the UK who have difficulty swallowing.

Founder Mohammed Ishaq said: “We started the refurbishment work in April and we aim to complete it by the end of August (2017).

“We are carrying out the changes to our production facility to increase our capacity and meet new contracts. It’s a big job but if you’ve got to do it, you’ve got to do it.”

The company purchased the then-disused and derelict site on Rekendyke Industrial Estate in 2000, which used to be a fashion manufacturing factory that supplied clothes to Marks and Spencer.

“We started our business in the Team Valley, but after a few years, we ran out of space so we looked around to find a place that had potential to expand,” continued Mohammed.

“When I first came across our current site, there were horses tied up in the car parks, the roof was half-missing. We now have a fantastic operation which will be even more state-of-the-art when the current investment is completed.”

James Ramsbotham, Chamber chief executive, said: “Punjab Kitchen is a perfect example of a great, family-run business in the North East thanks to the tireless work of Mohammed, Yasmine, their son Yaqoob (the national sales director) and their dedicated, loyal long serving and much appreciated management and production team.

“They offer an invaluable service for people who need the right nutrition in the appropriate form and really blaze a trail in hospital catering.”

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