Pudding firm hires 5 ahead of relocation

An Irish-owned food business has hired five staff ahead of its move to a huge new factory which will help it target massive export growth.

Jimmy Allen, managing director of De Roiste black and white puddings based in the Ballyvourney gaeltacht in Co Cork, said his family business has, in just three years, outgrown its 100 square metre premises.

“We have been lucky enough to secure a new factory, a 1,100 square metre premises in Ballyvourney, and we hope to move in before Christmas,” he said.

Moving into a facility 10 times the size of its existing plant will allow the company to ramp up production to meet growing demand for its range of products.

“We are looking now at export business,” said Mr Allen. “We want to be up there with the best of them. We are going to be up there with the best of them.”

Mr Allen, who also runs a plumbing business, founded De Roiste’s three years ago and employs eight people, including his three sons and a nephew.

His participation in the SuperValu Food Academy programme helped drive expansion.

“When we started out, our products were stocked in six or seven SuperValu stores but the Food Academy opened the door to us to every SuperValu in Cork and Kerry,” said Mr Allen.

“We’re now on the shelves in about 155 SuperValu stores across the counties. It was just unreal.”

De Roiste has now hired five extra staff to help drive the company’s growth. These jobs were among the 65 announced yesterday.

65 new jobs announced in food start ups at the .@CorkKerryFood conference in #Cork today. Here's a taster! pic.twitter.com/cB46AW2d6H

— Eoin English (@EoinBearla) June 29, 2015

Meanwhile, Walter Ryan from Loughbeg Farm in Schull will hire seven new staff members this year alone as a result of the Food Academy programme.

Maurice Gilbert and Donogh Raftery from Ballyhoura Apple Farm in Mallow have also taken on two staff members already.