Dutch Meat Companies Seek Northern Ireland Suppliers

Eleven buyers from many of the biggest meat companies in the Netherlands will explore business opportunities with Northern Ireland suppliers this week. The delegation is part of an ongoing programme of meet the buyer events organised by Invest Northern Ireland for the local beef and lamb industry.

The Dutch buyers source £50 million per year of red meat annually and represent some of the Netherlands most important meat importers, wholesalers, processors, packers and agents. Their clients include restaurants, supermarkets, butchers, institutions and industrial clients.

Showing their red meat to the Dutch delegation will be: ABP, Newry; C&J Meats, Armagh; Dunbia, Dungannon; Linden Foods, Dungannon; WD Meats, Coleraine; and Foyle Food Group, Londonderry and Omagh. Hewitt Meats, Armagh will be meeting the Dutch delegation at a dinner event in Bushmills.

Ian Murphy, Invest NI's Managing Director of Clients and Entrepreneurship, commenting on the visit, said: "This is another important opportunity for local beef and lamb processors to strengthen their positions in a marketplace which has a substantial requirement for red meat, and one in which Northern Ireland products have a strong reputation for high quality, rich flavour and provenance.

"None of the visiting companies currently source directly in Northern Ireland. This gives local exporters a tremendous opportunity to develop new sales with key Dutch meat businesses. Our companies have been active in the Dutch market for many years and are developing well recognised brand names for their products."

The Dutch companies, which have a combined turnover of more than £400 million per annum will be in Northern Ireland for two days for the meet the buyer event and will also have an opportunity to visit the plants of local processors.

They include major hotel and restaurant supplier Hanos, which has eighteen cash and carry depots in the Netherlands and Belgium. Hanos, international wholesaler for hotels, restaurants and pubs was founded in 1975, and is visiting Northern Ireland for the first time. It has locations throughout the Netherlands and a base in Antwerp in Belgium. Hanos has approximately 85,000 products in food, non-food and fresh produce. It supplies hotels, restaurants, pubs, wholesalers and other businesses.

Other members such as: ProMessa, Dordrechtweg; Van Loon Vlees, Best; Van Rooi Meat, Helmond, and Van der Horst Vleescentrale, Roosendaal are important players in supplying the requirements of Dutch supermarkets such as Co-Op, MCD, C1000, Jan Linders as well as members of the Superunie Purchasing Group.