Meat factory to create 155 jobs
Enterprise, Trade and Employment Minister Micheal Martin, who announced the expansion yesterday, said the Enterprise Ireland-supported investment will focus on the production and marketing of a range of ready meals.
Irish food companies are gaining significant market share in Britain in prepared consumer food products, the fastest expanding element of the food sector.
Mr Martin said Kepak has been developing this market niche since 1997. The initiative adds significant value to the primary output of beef and lamb within the Kepak Group.
“This important development demonstrates the potential impact of research and development in generating knock-on exports and employment,” he said.
Kepak Cork, which trades as Global Cuisine-Ready Roast, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Kepak Group, founded in 1981 as a conventional red meat processor, supplying supermarkets and food service customers from a single plant at Clonee, Co Meath.
Over the last two decades it has grown into one of Ireland’s leading meat processors with its Irish plants employing 1,200 people.
Mike Feeney, executive director of Enterprise Ireland, said the prepared food sector is currently experiencing double-digit growth and forecasts for growth remain very positive.
Valuable market opportunities continue to be available for Irish food companies which are willing to undertake the necessary research and to build the capability to respond quickly to consumer demands.
Gerard Brickley, leader of the Global Cuisine heat and serve development team, said the project builds on the established track record of Kepak Group in the manufacture and delivery of pre-cooked meals.
Minister of State Michael Ahern, who welcomed the announcement as very good news for Watergrasshill and East Cork, said Keypak has clearly shown the importance of responding quickly to changing consumer demand and through continued innovation and investment in R&D.
