Boom time for pie maker

A West Belfast bakery is almost doubling its workforce thanks to increasing demand for its pies from UK and Irish supermarket giants, it was announced today.

Aunt Mollies Foods is investing £1.9m in a development programme which will increase its workforce from 70 to 130 over the next three years.

The bakery is Northern Ireland’s leading manufacturer of fruit pies, crumbles and puff pastry.

Announcing the investment - £475,000 of it from the Government’s Industrial Development Board - Stormont Enterprise Minister Sir Reg Empey said: ‘‘It is being made by this successful and locally-owned company to strengthen its position in the marketplace and enable it to develop its established business with key customers such as Asda/Wal-Mart.’’

He said the expansion was a particularly encouraging development for the local food industry and would enhance employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled workers in West Belfast - one of the parts of the North designated as a social needs area.