Spirits firm sees its offerings go down a treat

As Scandinavians take to the first organic Irish cream liqueur with gusto, First Ireland Spirits is looking to expand its customer base by tapping new markets and extending its portfolio with whiskey products, writes Trish Dromey.

THE world’s first organic Irish cream liqueur, Bloom Mountain has been going down well with Scandinavians.

Manufactured by Co Laois company, First Ireland Spirits, the drink has been on the market since 2006 and is now selling in Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden.

“Sweden has been a huge success for us. Off licenses there, which are owned by the Swedish government, now only sell only two Irish cream liqueurs, Baileys and Bloom Mountain,” says First Spirits sales and marketing director, John Harte.

In September, Bord BIA gave its seal of approval to Bloom Mountain, which is not yet for sale in Ireland, by naming it the best organic beverage for 2011.

First Spirits also has high expectations for a new Irish whiskey liqueur called The Dubliner, which was released on the market last year. “This is being exported to Australia, Russia and Germany and is doing particularly well in Australia. We are planning to launch it in the US, the largest market for flavoured whiskey, next year,’’ reveals Mr Harte.

Bloom Mountain and Dubliner are the latest additions for First Ireland, which is the largest Irish-owned producer of Irish cream liqueur beverages.

Located at Abbeyleix, where it employs a full-time staff of 40 as well as seasonal workers, it has sales in 33 countries and exports 6,700,000 bottles a year, valued at €18 million.

In existence since 1993, the company was set up by Joe Lynch and Owen Brady who saw an opportunity to capitalise on the success of Ireland’s first cream liqueur, Baileys which had been launched in the 1970s.

Mr Harte says First Ireland earns 55% of its turnover from the manufacture of private label cream liqueurs and contract manufacturing. US customers include Walmart and it manufactures for Asda and the Co-op in the UK and for Musgrave and Dunnes Stores in Ireland.

The remaining 45% comes from sales of the company’s own brands which include O’Meara’s, its biggest seller in the US, and Feeney’s, its flagship product with sales in 17 countries. Other brands produced by First Ireland include Brogans, O’Caseys and Irish Knights.

Bloom Mountain is targeted at the Northern European market, where there is a growing demand for organic products. Developing the drink, which retails at €15 a bottle, proved difficult because it involved sourcing organic ingredients and had to be produced separately.

The launch of The Dubliner is a new departure for First Ireland, since it is its first non-cream liqueur product and signals that the company is targeting the whiskey market. Given that Ireland sells 4.5 million cases of whiskey annually while 90 million cases of scotch are sold worldwide, the company says this market has scope for growth.

Mr Harte sees potential for sales of Dubliner in the US, which is the world’s largest whiskey market and has a different taste profile to the rest of the world. “Products that sell well in the US tend to be more flavoursome and slightly sweeter than those which sell well in Europe,’’ he says. North America is First Ireland’s largest market with 35% of sales. Britain is second with 28%. Despite stiff competition in the marketplace and recession, First Ireland increased sales 6.5% in 2010 and expects to grow turnover by 7% this year.