Foyle Food Group rebrands to widen markets

Northern Ireland beef supplier Foyle Food Group has launched a major new rebrand of its entire operations, refreshing and simplifying its logo and branding to help it compete in an increasingly global marketplace. The company is headquartered at Londonderry.

Three of the five sites operated by the group have been renamed to provide greater brand identity, including Omagh Meats (now Foyle Omagh), Donegal Meat Processors (Foyle Donegal) and Hilton Meats, Cookstown (Foyle Hilton).

Chief executive officer Terry Acheson said: "The new identity represents a way for us to build on almost 40 years of experience, our existing reputation for outstanding quality, and to move ahead with confidence in the future.

"Our aim is to anticipate what's around the corner, meet it head-on and focus on the mutual prosperity of our business, our customers and our suppliers."

The company supplies beef to the retail, manufacturing and catering sectors, with brands including Foyle, Foyle BlueLabel, Foyle Gourmet, Foyle Cattleman's, Blackmoran Angus and Glenslieve Hereford.

During 2010, it ceased lamb and pig processing at the facility in Londonderry, but reported "satisfactory" results for the year ending 31 December, despite a challenging environment.

In 2010 the company, one of Northern Ireland's biggest meat processors, made £3.3 million on turnover of £217 million; in 2009 pre-tax profits were £2.6 million on turnover of £237 million..

The company has abattoirs in Campsie, Omagh and Donegal and is a major supplier to Tesco.

In April this year it announced it was also ending the production of pigs at the same facility. Employment at the group fell from around 800 in 2009 to 750 last year.