An East Yorkshire modular buildings specialist has helped innovative goat meat supplier Cabrito carve out new markets after its sales were hit by COVID. Fisher UK, based near Driffield, designed, built, and installed a bespoke butchery unit for the business, enabling it to vastly expand online retail sales. Gloucester-based Cabrito Goat Meat Ltd was created by James Whetlor and his partner Sushila in 2012 after learning of the plight of male kid goats in the dairy industry. Appalled at the wasteful practice of routinely euthanising them, the entrepreneurial duo worked with a local dairy goat farmer to raise his male kids, and began selling them into top London restaurants within a year. But when the COVID pandemic forced many restaurants to close, the couple had to immediately re-examine their business model. James, who is also the author of internationally acclaimed cookery book, Goat: Cooking and Eating, said COVID had all but made their business obsolete. “Our customers were restaurants,” he said. “The pandemic meant we had to reshape the retail side of the business, expand our online sales and sell directly to the consumer. “But selling direct to consumer requires a more complex butchery process than selling to the trade, and that put pressure on our outsourced supply, so we needed another solution.” James contacted Fisher UK after reading about its extensive experience in manufacturing bespoke modular units for the game and food processing industries. The two companies quickly set about designing a solution that would enable Cabrito to bring carcase processing in-house to better serve online retail customers. However, before any work could take place, the project needed funding, and it was here Cabrito’s core values paid dividends. James and Sushila decided to crowdfund the capital via Crowdcube, raising more than £250,000 in under a month as their commitment to producing ethical, sustainable meat struck a chord with investors. This enabled Fisher UK to design, build, deliver, install and commission the site all in under six months. James said the butchery facility has enabled the business to grow online sales as well as open up conversations with food manufacturers supplying large multiple retailers, as they can now offer the security of supply required at this end of the market. He added working with Fisher UK had saved them a lot of headaches when it came to finding the right solution. “From start to finish, the whole process has been very convenient,” he said. “Being constructed offsite kept disruption to a minimum and all of its components are FSA approved which gives us a platform to supply a SALSA certified product. “The installation team were clean and efficient, meaning the units were installed with minimal fuss and disruption. “We have already employed two full time butchers in the business since receiving the building and we have the capacity to more than double this as the business grows.” Jonathan Fisher described the unit as a ‘plug in and play FSA cutting plant’. “We created a pre-fabricated, fully functional food processing site that can be purchased like a piece of machinery,” he said. “The capacity can easily be extended by adding two or three more modules as the business grows. “It is a far more cost effective, flexible, and less disruptive solution than building something on site or having to move to a bigger premises, both of which would have had significant impacts on Cabrito’s production. “Our solution ensured there was no disruption to that at all.”

Commercial property developer, Stirlin, has announced a new site investment. Stirlin has purchased 1.22 acres of land on Newark Road in Lincoln, which is situated directly adjacent to an Esso fuel station and the River Witham. An existing planning application has been approved for 8 single-storey industrial units to be constructed on the site, which range in size from 1,000 sq ft up to 3,100 sq ft. The site can also accommodate bespoke design and build opportunities of up to 15,000 sq ft, which will be offered by Stirlin on a long-term lease basis. Stirlin holds a long-standing commitment in Lincolnshire; having developed over 260,000 sq ft commercial property across the county since their first development in 2007. James Kirby, owner of Stirlin, says: “We are delighted to invest in another site in Lincoln. We have been aware of the site on Newark Road for many years, so were pleased when it became available. The site has a tremendous amount of potential and will greatly benefit from a complete regeneration. “With its excellent access to Lincoln City Centre and the A46, the development will act as the perfect base for a variety of local and national business.” Jamie Thorpe, chartered surveyor at Pygott & Crone, says: “It’s fantastic to see Stirlin going from strength to strength as they continue to acquire new sites across the region to deliver their high-quality brand of commercial units. They have been a key player in developing much needed business space throughout the city, providing accommodation that helps local businesses grow and supports economic growth in the area. “The most recent acquisition at Newark Road is no different, a rundown site that is in desperate need of redevelopment. Situated in a central position, the site location is expected to be very sought after. We encourage all interested businesses to get in touch to discuss their requirements.”

Seven years of transformational development at Hull’s game-changing tech campus is continuing with construction underway on the final office building. The net zero building is the final phase of leading developer Wykeland Group’s @TheDock complex in Hull’s vibrant Fruit Market urban village. It will provide a further 11,000 sq ft of prime office space and bring 150 more advanced tech jobs to the area. The building will complete a cluster of prime office space at the @TheDock development, which includes the pioneering Centre for Digital Innovation (C4DI) tech hub. The @TheDock development has regenerated a previously derelict waterfront site and become the catalyst and focal point for Hull’s fast-growing tech sector. Yorkshire-based contractor Castlehouse Construction is delivering the works, with the final building having been designed by leading architectural practice The Harris Partnership, also based in Yorkshire. The developer’s agent for the project is LHL Group, again Yorkshire-based. A total of around 300 workers will be on site across the various stages of the construction process, with the building scheduled to be completed in summer 2023. John Gouldthorp, Asset Manager at Hull-based Wykeland, said: “It’s great that work is now underway on this exciting development. “@TheDock has been a tremendous success and this latest phase underlines our confidence in the continuing growth of the tech sector in Hull and the wider region. “Our previous investments on this site have generated dozens of new digital businesses and hundreds of highly-skilled tech jobs. This final building will create exciting new opportunities to be part of one of the UK’s most successful tech communities within a building with exceptional sustainability credentials.” Site preparation and groundworks have been completed and piling work has now begun on site. The piling is being carried out using a rotating, screw-type method which will minimise noise disruption while foundation works are carried out, before the steel frame of the building takes shape. Founded in 2009, Castlehouse Construction has grown into a near-£30m turnover business, delivering projects in sectors including commercial, education, retail, healthcare and residential. Castlehouse Construction was previously contracted by Wykeland to deliver the first phase of the £20m transformation of the former Northallerton Prison site in North Yorkshire into the award-winning Treadmills mixed-used development. Phil Dewell, Construction Director at Castlehouse Construction, said: “We’re pleased to have been appointed to build what will be a high-quality, sustainable commercial development in a prime location in Hull. “Having previously worked with Wykeland on the first phase of The Treadmills development in Northallerton, we were delighted to be chosen for this project. “Wykeland has a track record of delivering developments which have a significant economic impact on the area they serve. The @TheDock tech campus is a perfect example of that and we’re delighted to be finishing what has been a transformational development for the city.” The new building will have exceptional sustainability credentials, making it one of Hull’s most environment-friendly developments as well as increasing its appeal to potential occupiers keen to reduce their carbon footprint. The building will be powered by renewable energy generated via an array of roof-mounted solar panels. A green roof formed by flowering plants and a green wall section will also support biodiversity, while adding to the building’s insulation. The building will be rated BREEAM “Very Good” – a sustainability assessment that will put it in the top 25% nationally for non-domestic buildings. It will have an EPC energy rating of A – the highest possible to achieve – and will be mechanically heated, cooled and ventilated by a system that uses air source heat pumps and takes heat energy from extracted air and uses it to pre-heat incoming air. The undercroft car parking will feature electric vehicle charging points and cycle storage spaces, while energy efficient sensor lighting will also be installed within the building to reduce its carbon footprint. The project is supported by funding received from the European Regional Development Fund. The building is available for let to either a single business or multiple tenants, with suites from 2,250 sq ft to the full 11,000 sq ft.