A new Rainham factory is due to open later this year, but the number of locals who will be employed by the company has not been confirmed.
Wanis International Foods has been building a new distribution centre in Rainham since the end of last year, after expanding from its flagship site in Leyton.
Founded in 1964, Wanis now stocks over 8,000 products from 50 countries around the world.
Cllr Michael Deon Burton, who has been liaising with the company, said its opening represented Havering’s recovery from the pandemic.
He said: “We've gone through a bit of a battering with Covid, and have not experienced anything like this since World War Two.
“But now we are kicking back against Covid, and together we have a bright future.”
Wanis’s community brand ambassador, Paul Harrison, said the factory is due to open in September or October.
He told his paper: “This is a brand new, custom-built building, and as a family-oriented company we want to ensure workers don’t have to travel as far every day.
“We also plan to embed ourselves in the local community, through food banks and recruitment fairs.”
HR manager Shanaz Syeda added: “We have values of loyalty and kindness, so recruiting should be in line with these values.”
The company employs over 100 members of staff from 28 nationalities.
Paul said Wanis is currently recruiting for three roles for the new location, including a delivery driver and handyman.
Last year, the company initially promised around 30 jobs would be made available, with the potential opportunity for growth further down the line.
However, Shanaz was hesitant to confirm whether this number still reflected the factory’s plan.
She said: "We can’t put number on how many roles will be available.
“Things have changed rapidly over the year.”
Last year, Wanis’ director of operations Alam Ameer said the pandemic escalated demand for food suppliers.
He said: “Where other brands were running out of stock, because we are agents and service other brands from products from all over the world and have to do this well in advance, we were able to sustain availability.”
Alam added that most of the gain from extra sales was quickly reinvested in staff and distribution to cope with the demand.
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