Irish dairy exporter Ornua has opened a new 5,000 square foot innovation centre in Chicago, Illinois, through its US subsidiary CoreFX Ingredients.
The new centre at Lincon Square is the second facility opened by CoreFX in the state, as it also has a manufacturing plant in Orangeville, Illinois, where a 10,000 square foot expansion is currently underway.
The subsidiary was bought by Ornua in November 2016 and has since seen a fourfold increase in its number of employees.
Innovative Solutions
“The opening of the innovation centre at CoreFX marks a key milestone in its exciting growth journey and greatly improves its capability and ability to create innovative ingredients solutions that meet customer needs,“ said Kevin Lane, CEO of Ornua, speaking at the opening.
“Innovation is core to Ornua’s growth plans and this centre further strengthens Ornua’s global innovation network, which now covers Ireland, the UK, Germany, Spain, Saudi Arabia and the US,” he added.
Ornua is Ireland’s largest exporter of Irish dairy products with brands such as Kerrygold, Dubliner cheese, BEO milk and Shannongold butter.
The group markets these brands on behalf of its members, Ireland’s dairy processors, bringing them from farmers to about 110 countries worldwide.
The company experienced a rise in turnover of 9.1% to €1.75 billion in 2016. This growth was boosted by record global sales of Kerrygold butter, reaching €900 million last year, with a 20% volume growth in the US.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Kevin Duggan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
