A surge in duck sales has led Gressingham Foods to open a new £5m distribution centre at its site in Redgrave near Diss.
The company, which produces the unique Gressingham Duck breed, has benefited from a market-wide surge in duck sales, which have increased by 15% in the past year.
The new facility will allow Gressingham to store more products and packaging on site, and reduce its use of external storage facilities.
It will also mean 75 fewer truck movements each week, less noise and a smaller carbon footprint, added the company.
William Buchanan, managing director, said: 'With the growing popularity of duck the new distribution centre is a key investment, securing the future of the site at Redgrave with the opportunity to expand production of ducks and other poultry in the future.'
The 54,000 sq ft facility – equivalent to four Olympic-sized swimming pools – contains a chamber design which allows it to be maintained at different temperatures, along with solar panels to generate electricity for the building.
Gressingham employs 550 people across Norfolk and Suffolk, of which 350 are based at the Redgrave site, though the workforce swells to 900 over the Christmas production period.
A family business founded in 1971, Gressingham Foods is the only company in the world licensed to produce Gressingham Duck, a unique cross-breed of wild Mallard and Pekin valued for its taste and high percentage of breast meat.
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