Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney visited the Baileys production facility on the Nangor Road to mark the brands 40th year and to announce a €600K partnership between Baileys and Enterprise Ireland.
The partnership will combine employee training and improvements to the site in order to increase its sustainability and efficiency. The R&D element of the brand will also be enhanced, with the goal of being to increase the business and therefore grow the rural economy.
Baileys is a major buyer of Irish milk, using 250 million litres annually. Commenting on the partnership, Coveney praised the brand's global popularity and position as sixth bestselling duty free brand, saying, "Key to this success is the combination of both tradition and innovation, using Irish milk sourced from 40,000 dairy cows, Baileys has developed a brand that continues to appeal to people all over the world."
Michael Cantwell, Head of Enterprise Ireland Food Division explained that the partnership is part of Enterprise Irelands strategy to invest in product and process innovation to improve efficiencies and grow international sales. He added, "Baileys is an Irish brand with a global presence, a reputation for excellence, which showcases our high quality dairy and distilling sectors. Today's partnership will contribute to Ireland's dairy sector, exports and the Irish economy generally."
Colin O' Brien, Managing Director of Baileys and Head of Supply with Diageo pointed to Baileys history as an innovative product, and its continued leadership of the cream liquor category.
"Today it is a market leader because we bring together the very best of dairy and distilling while continually exploring new tastes our marketing approach, production, supply pricing and innovation strategies. Our partnership with Enterprise Ireland will ensure that we can continue to be a number one Irish brand that has appeal right across the world," he continued.
© 2015 - Checkout Magazine by Jenny Whelan.
