Glanbia Cheese, the Joint Venture business between Glanbia plc and Leprino Foods has recently announced plans to build a new, world-class mozzarella cheese manufacturing facility in Portlaoise, Co Laois, Ireland.
€130 million will be invested in the facility which will have a production capacity of 45,000 tons per annum and will be supported by the Government through Enterprise Ireland.
Plus For Portlaoise
Approximately 78 full-time jobs will be created at the facility, and an additional 250 jobs will be created during the construction process. Planning permissions have yet to be given, but if cleared, the construction will begin later this year with the facility due to be completed and start production in 2020.
“This is a great day for Glanbia Cheese, Portlaoise and the Midlands region,” said Minister for Justice and Equality, Charlie Flanagan, welcoming the announcement.
“The economic growth of our regions through the creation of sustainable jobs is a priority for Government, and I am delighted to see this level of investment and such a significant number of jobs being created here today – most certainly a welcome boost to the economy of Portlaoise.
“We are pleased to announce plans to build this new facility for Glanbia Cheese,” added Siobhán Talbot, group managing director of Glanbia.
Leprino Foods
“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.”
The partnership between the two groups was established back in 2000 and has seen large-scale manufacturing operations in Llangefni in Wales and in Magheralin, Northern Ireland.
Mike Durkin, President of Leprino Foods, said, “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. 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.”
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland has hailed the recent announcement as one of the largest new name Food FDI projects secured by the group in recent times.
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 Portlaoise facility will source the majority of its key raw materials from Glanbia Ireland. The facility will supply products to customers in the foodservice sector of the pizza category across Europe.
© 2018 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
