Food company to create 50 new jobs as company grows

Food company to create 50 new jobs as company grows

24 September 2014

FIFTY new jobs will be created by a Killinchy food company over the next three years.

Willowbrook Foods will this morning confirm it will increase its workforce from 229 to 279 following the launch of a new upmarket food range.

Willowbrook Fine Foods will be officially launched this morning as a new branch of the company, which was launched by former Down High School student John McCann in 1968.

Pioneers in the convenience food industry at that time, it has since grown to become the largest processor of lettuce bags and salads in Ireland.

To accommodate demand from a core market of retail and foodservice customers, in 2011 the company invested £5.5m in a purpose built manufacturing factory that includes a cutting edge food innovation centre.

High profile customers of the food supplier now include Tesco, Iceland, Lidl, Aldi, Spar, Subway, KFC, Dominos and McDonalds.

Managing director John McCann set up Willowbrook when he started to grow vegetables on the 200 year-old family farm after completing a business studies degree. He then started to sell the produce at local markets.

“Initially at Willowbrook Foods we were producing prepared and packaged vegetables and soup mixes and then in 1978 we secured our first major contract with Wellworths and since then we have gone from strength to strength,” he said.

“Pre-packed vegetables didn’t exist prior to the 1970s so we were very much pioneers in the industry.

“Today Willowbrook employs 229 people in Northern Ireland and we export right across UK.

“Job creation is extremely important to us and the new company, Willowbrook Fine Foods, will create 50 new jobs in the next three years.”

Mr. McCann said the decision to expand into the fine food market was taken due to the explosion in demand for convenience foods.

“Convenient doesn’t have to mean unhealthy and tasteless,” he said.

“The Willowbrook Fine Foods range uses the very best of local produce to ensure consumers can still have a mouth-watering meal but spend less time in the kitchen.

“The need for quality convenience products is still expanding and Northern Ireland, with its excellent range of produce grown locally, we are ideally placed to be a leader in this field.”

Willowbrook Fine Foods will be launched by Finance Minister Mr. Simon Hamilton this morning.