Carlisle-based food company Calder Foods is continuing its growth with a planned extension to its Burgh Road Industrial Estate factory.

The Cumberland News reports that the sandwich filling manufacturer initially began as a two-man operation trading out of the back of a van.

Worth £2.5 million, the expansion is expected to create up to 100 new jobs in the Cumbria region, while Calder Foods has also acquired business from the Daniels Group - producers of Covent Garden soup - for £3.6 million.

"The acquisition of the business from Daniels Group is a major coup for Calder Foods and a real boost for Carlisle in general," managing director Paul Barker told the publication.

Currently, the Carlisle factory employs more than 100 workers and following the expansion, could see its workforce double. Additionally, Calder Foods has secured a £150,000 grant towards the extension from Northwest Regional Development Agency.

Calder Foods produces sandwich fillings, marinated and cooked meats as well as chutneys, sauces and salads.