GRANTOWN Smokehouse is set to be revived after Meatsnacks Group agreed a five-year lease on the Highlands and Islands Enterprise facility.

Meatsnacks, a producer of biltong and jerky, said the move would create 20 jobs when production begins on August 1.

Establishing a production facility at the smokehouse fulfils the company’s long-held desire to launch a Wild West Deli Salmon Jerky product into a portfolio that led it to £12 million revenues last year.

The company, formed after a merger between Forres-based Jerky Group and Cruga in Milton Keynes, was one of several firms interested in leasing the former Spey Valley Smokehouse in Grantown when it was vacated by Young’s Seafoods in March 2015, after it lost a key contract with J. Sainsbury to Norway’s Marine Harvest.

Young’s departure from the town led to the loss of 24 jobs.

David Oxley, Highland & Island Enterprise area manager in Moray, said: “The facility has been a valuable economic asset for Grantown and an important place for local employment.”

He added: “We are very pleased to see it becoming an active production facility once more, and look forward to continuing to work with Meatsnacks as their business develops.”

The addition of the new factory will help Meatsnacks – which currently employs 110 people in the nearby town of Forres and Milton Keynes – the Wild West brand expand its footprint in the Scottish Highlands alongside its existing flagship beef and pork jerky facility in Forres.

Meatsnacks Group makes products under a number of brands, including Wild West beef jerky, Hogbites pork scratchings and Cruga biltong. The range is available in all major supermarkets.

James Newitt, managing director of Meatsnacks Group said the factory will undergo a six-figure investment to scale up production capabilities.

The planned refurbishment will facilitate end-to-end production of the company’s own salmon jerky recipe. Smoking, processing and retail packing will all be taking place on site.

Mr Newitt added: “We have been looking to produce the product since 2012 when we perfected the recipe and what better place than Grantown on Spey, the home of salmon fishing in the Scottish Highlands?

“The acquisition offers us a great opportunity to continue to diversify our offering and tap into a wider market.”