Global seafood manufacturer, Star Agro has announced more than £5.7m of sales, just three years after launching its UK division in the West Midlands.
Star Agro Marine Foods, a sustainable shrimp and white fish supplier, has seen orders increase by £2.3m this year, with its products now sold under private label brands into a number of large UK supermarkets.
The success has been boosted even further by the launch of a van distribution sales arm, which is delivering daily to a host of restaurants, hotels, caterers and independent Asian retailers.
Managing director, Steve Money explained: “The UK is major market for high quality, sustainable shrimp and this is reflected in the significant growth we have seen since 2012 when we started in a small office.
“Significant investment has been channeled into the development of our shrimp processing factory, farms and hatcheries in India by our parent company, where we can now produce up to 9,000 tons per year of sustainable shrimp for our UK and European markets.”
Money continued: “This additional capacity has been quickly snapped up and led to us moving to our site in Wolverhampton and leasing cold storage space in Brierley Hill.
“Our workforce has increased from two to six, and I can see this trebling when you consider we are looking to create another five satellite offices to provide complete national coverage.”
Backed by its £30m-strong Indian parent, Star Agro Marine Foods provide full traceability from hatchery to delivery to its customers.
It produces and processes antibiotic free products for its ‘Star Feast’ brand or private label where tailor made packaging and products are developed in line with the requirements of its client base.
The MD added: “Customer service is at the heart of everything we do and means we can offer complete flexibility for our customers, shorter lead times and, importantly, access to some of the best tasting, ethically produced shrimp in the world.
“2016 looks like it could bring in £7m of sales, but this is just the start. With global investment in the business at an all-time high and a more pro-active approach to marketing, there really is a massive opportunity for us to exploit.”
