FDBusiness.com

Ballyrashane Creamery, the Northern Irish dairy co-operative, is investing around £6 million to grow its European business. The company has developed a new speciality butter aimed at key markets such as France and Germany as part of an expansion that includes the construction of a new butter processing plant.

Nigel Kemps, Ballyrashane Creamery’s managing director, comments: “This very substantial investment is an integral part of our strategic focus on measures to improve efficiency, increase productivity, reduce costs and enhance profitability, thereby increasing our competitiveness particularly in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and other European markets. We have business partnerships, including with a major European distributor, to support this process.”

He continues: “A key objective in this strategy is to drive sales of added-value butters that can command premium prices in our target markets. The investment being made to modernise our processing operations will also position the company at the leading-edge of technology and will support our commitment to become a market leader in the development and marketing of innovative, added value butter for sale outside Northern Ireland.”

Formed in 1896 as a co-operative by a group of local farmers, Ballyrashane Creamery, Northern Ireland’s largest butter producer, employs around 150 people at its plant at Cloyfin, near Coleraine in countyLondonderry. In addition to a range of butters, the company produces liquid milk, whey powders, cream and speciality cheese, mostly for export.  It processes upwards of 100 million litres of milk and 25,000 tonnes of sweet cream annually. Around 90 per cent of its butter is sold outside Northern Ireland, 50 per cent to customers in mainland Europe.