A FAMILY-OWNED cheese maker providing pizza toppings has revealed plans to create jobs in a £3m expansion.

Prima Cheese is moving into new units after outgrowing its headquarters in Seaham, east Durham.

Bosses say the extension will include a fourth production line and comes as Prima seeks to capitalise on a strong 2016, which saw exports grow 88 per cent after work in Hong Kong, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan and the Maldives.

Such successes, said Andy Davis, finance director, means production space at the company, based on Seaham Grange Industrial Estate, is now at a premium.

He said the expansion will allow the business to build on sales into 17 countries and take its workforce to 100 for the first time.

He said: “We’ve been at our current site since 2001 and had reached full capacity, so we have acquired some adjacent units to grow into, which will see us grow from 33,000sq ft to 55,000sq ft by the end of 2017.

“We’re upgrading our three production lines with new machinery, as well as adding a fourth line, which together will boost capacity by 50 per cent.

“Our growth has been driven by entering new export markets, launching new products and winning market share in our current markets.

“We’ve also invested heavily in research and development to improve efficiency in our production process, as well as investing in things like energy efficient lighting.”

Mr Davis added Prima’s largest overseas market is the Middle East, which has helped drive turnover from £42m last year to around £60m.

The company has been backed by a Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking asset-based lending facility, which enables firms with capital tied up in invoices, stock, plant or property to increase working capital by raising funds using those assets as security.

Alison Smith, Lloyds’ North-East relationship director for mid markets, added: “Prima has continued to grow, even through a period of political and economic upheaval, and it’s great to see it winning contracts in emerging markets overseas.

“We look forward to continuing our support as the business targets further domestic and international growth.”