Northern Irish venison specialist expands

Finnebrogue, the Northern Irish producer of premium venison and pork products, is investing £3 million to double sales particularly in Great Britain.

Based at Downpatrick in county Down, the company already supplies major retailers such as Marks and Spencer, Asda and Waitrose. The company is investing heavily in new facilities and marketing activities designed to almost double sales outside Northern Ireland during 2014. It plans to create 65 new jobs this year in addition to the existing 115 it currently employs.

Recruitment for the new posts, which include several at managerial level, is already underway and is scheduled for completion by the end of March. The company has also acquired new production facilities.

Denis Lynn, Finnebrogue managing director, who founded the business, says: "We are making what is an important strategic investment for the business in response to demand from our existing and potential customers in Britain. Over the last number of years we have seen significant increases in demand for our premium pork products. The company currently employs 115 people and this investment will see that number rise to 180.

"Our success is based on the strength of relationships which we have with retailers in a fast growing industry. Our business is growing strongly because of this commitment to anticipate and respond quickly to market trends and opportunities. Over the past three years, we've achieved annual growth of around 30 per cent.

"The expansion will provide the additional capacity we need to build upon our success in terms of new product development and sales outside Northern Ireland. While our main focus remains on Great Britain, we have pinpointed significant opportunities in other markets and are keen to exploit these in order to achieve even faster growth."

The expansion is being assisted by Invest Northern Ireland, the region's business development agency.