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Established in 1985, when it employed just twelve people, Dawn Farm Foods now has a workforce of over 1,000 across its three production plants in Ireland and the UK. Dawn Farms supplies cooked and fermented meat ingredients to the food service and food manufacturing sectors, and  is the preferred cooked meat ingredient partner to many of the world’s leading grocery and high street food service brands in over 40 countries worldwide.

A key note speaker at the recent Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition, held at the Citywest Convention Centre in Dublin, Larry Murrin (pictured right), Chief Executive of Dawn Farm Foods, provided an insight into how innovation has been crucial to the company’s competitiveness and has helped it grow rapidly in international markets.

“We have been very fortunate,” he said, “but the harder you work, the luckier you get.”

Operating to ‘Lean’ business principles to maximise value for customers, Dawn Farm Foods offers a one-stop shop in B2B cooked and fermented meats for use in the pizza, ready meal, sandwich and the wider food service and retail sectors.

Innovation

With 32 people working full-time, the company’s science and innovation team, constantly researches global and local trends to identify the ‘next big thing’ in the food world, and how to leverage this to create innovative products for customers. Dawn Farm Foods uses a ‘world class, NPD stage–gate process called NECTAR to convert ideas into outstanding products quickly and efficiently.

“We all have different definitions of innovation,” he said Larry. “Innovation is not just about product, packaging and service – it is how you do things and is reflected in the attitude and leadership in every aspect of our business.”

Larry Murrin added: “Everyone in the organisation must support the customer or support someone who does. Customer-centricity is an important part of our corporate DNA. The new source of competitive advantage is customer-centricity.”

Sustainability

As a family owned business, rooted in the agri-food sector in Ireland, sustainability has always been a core business principle for Dawn Farm Foods and it is a member of Origin Green, the Irish State’s innovative sustainability programme designed to underpin Ireland’s green image abroad. The programme sets out Ireland’s ambition to become a world leader in the delivery of sustainable, high-quality food and drink products.

Origin Green has provided Dawn Farm Foods with the framework for a robust sustainability plan to reduce energy consumption, minimise carbon footpint and reduce overall environmental impact, whilst independently tracking performance. This allows customers to have even more confidence in the sustainability of Dawn Farm Foods’ food production practices.

“Sustainability is now one of the top three questions any customer will ask of any food company. It is essential that Irish business continues the great work started by Origin Green,” he stressed.

Larry Murrin also expressed his views on Brexit. “We need really positive Government and stakeholder leadership for Ireland to maintain its market share in the UK. We need to act now before the storm breaks.”

He continued: “The food and drink sector is as important to Ireland as the automotive industry is to Germany.”