300 new jobs

300 new jobs

16 September 2020

DOWNPATRICK is in line for a major jobs boost.

Award-winning food producer Finnebrogue Artisan is constructing a new £25m factory at the Down Business Park on the outskirts of the town, with the investment set to create 300 new jobs over the next 18 months.

Work on the new factory — the fourth which Finnebrogue has built over the past five years — is continuing at pace and is due to be completed by January, increasing staff numbers to over 1,000.

Businessman Denis Lynn said that his number one priority is to ensure Finnebrogue’s new employment opportunities will be for the local community.

The food production industry has been one of the few to thrive since the onset of coronavirus with Finnebrogue Artisan expected to turnover in excess of £150m this year, up from £100m in 2019.

The factory will specialise in plant-based products which has been identified as a significant growth area in food production.

Mr Lynn said Finnebrogue, widely regarded as one of the top UK food producers, has been fortunate to weather the coronavirus storm. 

“Making food for supermarkets has been one of the few business activities to thrive this summer and I am fully aware of the huge responsibility this places on our shoulders as we move into autumn,” he said.

“Finnebrogue’s priority from the onset of the virus has been to keep our staff safe. We provided every staff member with masks, free lunches and paid them a bonus for coming to work in such extraordinary circumstances.”

In addition, Finnebrogue Artisan installed perspex dividers on its food production lines where social distancing wasn’t possible, enforced temperature checks at the start of every shift and recruited 200 additional local people, many of whom were furloughed from their old jobs at the start of the crisis.

“Now, as the reality of the recession begins to kick in, Finnebrogue’s priority is the community we are a part of,” continued Mr Lynn. “We will do everything we can to provide jobs, training and new opportunities for local people. My priority is for the jobs the new factory will create to be filled by people from this area.”

Conceding that the past few months have been challenging with Covid-19 “turning our world upside down”, Mr Lynn said Finnebrogue Artisan has been fortunate to weather the storm.

He added: “All our efforts are on continuing our growth and providing more employment opportunities for local people as the crisis continues. By pulling together and looking after each other in these challenging times, we will come out the other side much the stronger.”

Finnebrogue Artisan’s new managing director, Andrew Nethercott, said the company’s mantra was to “make food the best it can possibly be, without being bound by the way it has always been done.” 

He continued: “The construction of our fourth new factory in five years will mark a new chapter in the Finnebrogue story and enable us to further turbocharge our growth. It brings our total investment in buildings to £80m over the past five years and will create 300 new jobs. 

“We are determined that these new opportunities will be for our community and that it is the people of our community that benefit from the investment we are making.”

Mr Nethercott said consumers are more attuned to the food that they eat than at any point in history. 

He added: “They are demanding more nutritious and more sustainable food products. We want to deliver them the food they deserve and this state-of-the-art new factory will enable us to do just that.”

Finnebrogue operations director Chris Duke said Covid-19 had been a huge challenge for the company.

“We are so proud of everything the Finnebrogue family has done to feed the nation during these unprecedented times. Without their dedication and drive we would not be in a position now to undertake such a significant expansion,” he said.

“The work our teams have done throughout the business over the last few months has been extraordinary and we are all now working at breakneck speed to have this huge new facility ready for January. It is the most exciting project I have seen in my 30 years within the food industry and it’s happening right here in Downpatrick.”

Downpatrick councillor Dermot Curran praised Finnebrogue Artisan for its latest investment.

“Finnebrogue has invested heavily in the area and is continually innovating and evolving in the very competitive food production industry. Mr Lynn and his staff deserve great praise for their dedication and commitment,” he said.

He added: “This latest £25m investment which will create 300 new jobs demonstrates Finnebrogue’s commitment to Downpatrick and the wider area. We are fortunate to have a company which is going from strength to strength in our area and investing in ultra-modern food plants, creating much-needed and very welcome new jobs.”