New textured butter from Ballyrashane in Northern Ireland

Ballyrashane Creamery, Northern Ireland's oldest dairy co-operative, has developed a new 'textured' butter for croissant bakeries and patisseries in Europe.

The company, based at Coleraine in county Derry, has begun supplying the new premium butter through distributors to customers in France, Belgium and Germany from a new £8 million 'high care' butter plant.

According to Ballyrashane chief executive, Nigel Kemps, the new 35,000 sq ft production, chilled and deep freeze facilities - which are amongst the most advanced in Europe - will double manufacturing capacity of butter and enable the business to increase sales of its innovative premium butter products initially in target European markets.

"As well as enhancing our butter product offering and ensuring we can capitalise on the demand for our high-end textured butter products in locations such as Belgium, Germany and France the new equipment and technology will improve overall efficiency and thereby make us more competitive all-round," Mr Kemps says.

"We will be continuing to work closely with our sales and marketing partners Greenfields in Northern Ireland and De Brandt in Belgium to fully exploit the opportunities the new facilities provide us."

He adds: "While this and other strategic initiatives will create around 10 new jobs within Ballyrashane the emphasis is on sustaining current employment levels as efficiencies are improved so it really is good news for all our people, the local community, the 107 local farmers who supply us milk and our extensive customer base."

Ballyrashane, a farmer-owned co-operative, employs around 150 staff at its headquarters on the north coast supplying milk to major retailers including Henderson Group (Spar and Vivo labels) and Marks & Spencer as well as specialist regato cheese for the Greek market.

The innovative business is also benefitting from the decision in 2012 to invest in a state-of-the-art anaerobic digester which converts dairy waste into energy for use within the factory.

"Being able to generate our own electricity was a key strategic decision made by the shareholders. This not only enables us to deal with waste very efficiently but also provides us with financial protection against increases in energy costs," Mr Kemps says.