We are passionate about food and innovations in the food industry. And so we are launching a new mentoring scheme to support other Yorkshire-based food businesses.
We are one of the fastest-growing UK businesses in the food and drink sector, but we don’t want to forget our roots. We are farmers-turned-producers, and built our factory on the old family farm.
We wanted to bring clean, lean and tasty eating to market, by launching a healthy range of chicken and pork sausages and burgers, gluten and dairy-free and vegan ranges. Along the way, we have invested in the best of engineering excellence, and recently installed a £1 million sausage machine that makes up to 60,000 sausages an hour.
HECK’s Andrew Keeble explains “For us, it’s all about doing things differently and innovating all the time. We were the first to launch a chicken sausage and now have a full range of fantastic plant based vegan sausages and burgers. We’re the first company to launch a vegan breakfast sausage. Our ‘What the Heck’ approach allows us to do things differently and we’re now hoping to inspire the next generation of food business in Yorkshire.”
Keen to share their expertise and enthusiasm, HECK founders Andrew and Debbie Keeble, and their experienced team are now looking for local businesses who would like some guidance on their next steps in the industry.
Companies will be invited to an open day in April for a brainstorm to begin the process of establishing a centre of food excellence in the Vale of York – or the “Silicon Valley” of food as Andrew is describing it. Start-ups will be given the opportunity to join this ‘Silicon Valley’-style community.
One company already benefiting from HECK’s support is A Go-Go, a vegan rice pudding. Adam Dick, founder of A Go-Go, is manufacturing his products in HECK’s pristine vegan factory. He has also had the opportunity to consult with HECK’s design team for advice on style and branding, supported all the way by Andrew and Debbie.
Adam started his business in 2018, with an aim to bringing great-tasting healthy vegan foods to the UK market. He has really valued access to the experts at HECK, who have helped him move his business on to the next stage. Use of the HECK premises as a manufacturing base for A Go-Go has helped him keep production local, while still being able to guarantee his food as vegan friendly.
If you are a food business that would like to get involved then email us with 500 words about your food idea to sausages@heckfood.co.uk