Glanbia Cheese, the joint venture company between Glanbia plc and Leprino Foods, has announced plans to build a new mozzarella cheese manufacturing facility in the Republic of Ireland.
A total of €130 million will be invested in the facility, which is supported by the Irish government through Enterprise Ireland.
The facility will have a production capacity of 45,000 tons per annum, creating 78 full-time jobs at the facility, and an additional 250 jobs will be created during the construction process.
Planning permissions have yet to be granted, but Glanbia reports that, if cleared, construction will begin later this year with the facility due to be completed and production beginning in 2020.
Leprino Foods
The partnership between the two companies was established in 2000 and has seen large-scale manufacturing operations set up in Wales and Northern Ireland.
“We are pleased to announce plans to build this new facility for Glanbia Cheese,” added Siobhán Talbot, group managing director of Glanbia.
“Our partnership with Leprino Foods has been very successful for both partners to date and we are very positive about the potential of this new venture. We have worked closely with Enterprise Ireland on this project and are very appreciative of their support and commitment. We now look forward to moving the project on to its next phase.”
“This new plant in Portlaoise is an exciting project that will not only expand our thriving partnership with Glanbia but will take advantage of our combined experience, knowledge and strengths to build a state-of-the-art facility to meet consumer demand for mozzarella cheese,” added Mike Durkin, President of Leprino Foods
“It also reflects a desire to increase our presence and benefit from having a facility that is in close proximity to the growing European markets.”
Community Victory
Enterprise Ireland has hailed the recent announcement as one of the largest Food FDI projects that the group has seen completed in recent years.
Julie Sinnamon, CEO of Enterprise Ireland, said “we are delighted to support this significant investment project, which was won for Ireland and Laois against strong competition from many other locations.
“The result of this investment is 78 jobs supported by Enterprise Ireland and a further 250 during the construction phase, which will deliver a positive impact to the region, supporting sustainable economic growth, regional development and secure employment. We are committed to working with Glanbia and Leprino Foods to support this partnership.”
The new facility will source the majority of its key raw materials from Glanbia Ireland, and it will supply products to customers in the foodservice sector of the pizza category across Europe.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Aidan O'Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
