HECK! back in the pink as Yorkshire sausage and burger firm rebrands packaging

Co-founder and sales director Jamie Keeble told The Yorkshire Post that the Bedale-based firm, which began trading in 2013 and now employs around 100 people, has come through the challenges of higher inflation, energy and labour costs and is now looking more positively towards the future.

Its most recent annual results, published last April and covering the year to July 31, 2022, recorded an operating loss of £327,000, down from an operating profit of £270,000 in the previous 12 months.

Mr Keeble said: “The last two years have been the most challenging we have ever faced in our business.

"At our tenth anniversary we were on such a massive growth trajectory. But we were hit with everything, like every other business in our sector really.

"We were just trying to keep our heads above water and there were some very difficult months dealing with inflation.

"I deal with every single one of our retailers. When you are having difficult conversations with them about cost prices and cost increases every day with every customer, that was quite challenging.

"But looking ahead to 2024, we feel the dust has settled slightly and we can start looking again at reinvesting back into the business and thinking very positively as well.

"We’ve had a cracking start to the year and January has been a huge month for us. Things are looking very positive.

"The next figures that will be posted will be much more positive. We are a profitable business again, which is nice to say. We are making good profit and now we can start really reinvesting back into the business.”

Part of the investment is going towards automating the packaging process for the business which Mr Keeble said is currently “very labour intensive”.

He said around eight jobs will be lost as a result of the change – a decision which has been driven in part by increases to the minimum wage coming in from April.

"We want to keep the best people we can in the business and reposition them elsewhere,” he said.

Money is also being invested in a company rebrand, although its current name will be kept. The current different colours for its product range will be dropped in favour of a standard pink packaging across all of its different food offerings.

"We are rebranding at the end of February to try and attract a younger shopper,” Mr Keeble explained.

"We’d like to move into different categories in store. We are basically going back to one dominant packaging colour across the full range.

"You’ll still be able to tell flavour profiles and protein profiles, that will be quite obvious.

"But this will help customers navigate when we move into different categories. It is a strategy to try and support our growth.”

The company has also secured a number of new listings for core and extended range, such as a new Pork Chipolata in Tesco.

The new packaging will also launch the HECK! care code, an initiative to communicate the team’s commitment and action across environment and the local community.

He said: “Our family have farmed in this area for over three generations, so we’ll be working with the local parishes this year to see how they’d like us to support them.”