Irish Whiskey business toasts success
Old Bushmills Irish Whiskey, the world's oldest licensed distillery is listed at number two, in Northern Ireland's 200 'engine room' companies.
Altogether 35 food and drink companies are listed in the 200 by Dun& Bradstreet for Ulster Business magazine, which reflects the growing strength of Northern Ireland's biggest manufacturing industry.
Old Bushmills has an award winning portfolio of premium Irish Whiskey products and had sales listed of £60 million and a pre-tax profit of £20 million.
The distillery is now owned by Casa Cuervo of Mexico, the world's leading tequila brand. It acquired Old Bushmills from Diageo earlier this year.
Other food companies in the 200 include Skea Egg Farms, Northern Ireland's leading egg producer, Strathroy Dairy, an independent creamery, red meat processors C&J Meats and Hilton Meats, John Woods, parent company of Linwoods, the processor of flax and other healthy seeds, Avondale Foods, a specialist in soups and salads, and Irwin's Bakery, Northern Ireland's leading family-owned bakery.
Jonathan Cushley of Dun & Bradstreet, says: "The list covers 'bubbling under' companies which have the potential to make Northern Ireland's Top 100. The threshold for the 200 is turnover of £60 million."
The companies listed posted a total profit of £375 million and a margin of 5.5 per cent on total turnover of £6.9 million. Together they employ 38,000 people.