Northern Ireland Food Firm Dines Out On Success After Research Investment

Northern Irelandbased TS Foods is hoping to cash in its export chips after a major investment in research and development. The family run company already supplies fresh and frozen convenience foods for retail, food service and wholesale customers in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Popular brands include TS Foods' foodworks and the Tony's Chippy range.

Invest NI offered TS Foods over £120,000, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), to help the company develop its R&D capability and boost sales.

TS Foods analysed its production process and enhanced its approach to identifying and developing new products and market opportunities. As a result of the investment, the company is progressing towards the launch of a new range of value added products.

Carol Keery, Invest NI's Director of Innovation, Research and Technology, commented: "TS Foods is an innovative firm which is committed to growing and developing the business through continuous improvement.

"This investment has helped it to formalise its R&D process. With enhanced capabilities the company can more effectively prioritise and speed up the development of new products to maximise export opportunities."

Joanne Molloy, Commercial Director of TS Foods Ltd, commented: "We recognised that in order to drive sales outside Northern Ireland it was important to reorganise our planning and product development methods.

"This investment helped us to assess new opportunities and explore the potential for process improvements with our ingredients, packaging and equipment suppliers. Support from Invest NI has helped to build our competitive position and as a result we are now better placed to fully exploit future market trends and customer demands."