A CHEESE factory near Pwllheli is promising to create 50 new jobs when it moves to a new base near Porthmadog.

GRH Food Company is doubling in size and creating a new site near Porthmadog with the help of a £1.7m government cash injection.

A £6.5m investment will see the firm move into a new 43,500 sq ft facility at Snowdonia Business Park, Minffordd.

The family-owned firm has been located at Y Ffôr, near Pwllheli, since 1997 and today employs 70 staff.

The expansion has been made possible thanks to a £1.7m Welsh Government grant.

Andrew Hockridge, managing director at GRH, said: “We have invested heavily in innovation, new product development and our people over the last two years and our success has meant we have reached maximum capacity at Y Ffôr with increasing demand from customers at home and abroad.

“Securing the £1.7m Welsh Government grant was a game-changer to support our £6.5M investment at Minffordd which will now enable us to grow from a £16M business today to potentially up to £50M and employing a further 50 staff, over the next few years.

“The state-of-the-art factory at Snowdonia Business Park will enable GRH to double production capacity as well as offering the very highest food industry BRC quality standards.

“Moreover, GRH will be developing on site a Cheese Innovation Centre to accelerate the growth in new blended, flavoured and high nutrition cheeses for UK and international markets.”

The project has received funding through the Welsh Government Rural Communities Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the Welsh Government.

Cabinet secretary for environment and rural affairs, Lesley Griffiths, said: “I would like to congratulate GRH Food Company Ltd on their ambition to grow. Their contribution towards the Welsh economy is important and it is good to see that our producers are taking innovation and new product development seriously.

“Investing in its people is a huge benefit for any business and I certainly wish GRH Food Company Ltd every success in its new home”.

The new Minffordd site will be fully operational from April next year, initially safeguarding the 70 existing staff, with a further 15 staff expected to be employed by the end of 2018.

More jobs are expected to come by 2020.