Tesco Ireland and Cork-based cheese company Bandon Vale have announced a major extension to their three-year partnership, which will see the value of their contract grow from €12 million to €17 million, with the producer providing a number of new products to the retailer’s stores across Ireland.
Bandon Vale operates a purpose-built packing facility in the heart of the dairy-rich area of West Cork and will supply its full range of Cheddar cheese blocks, slices, and grated products, as well as sliced Dutch cheese and grated mozzarella, to Tesco’s 170 stores across Ireland.
Founded in 1994, Bandon Vale has won numerous accolades, amongst them a Blas na Éireann award last year, for its Tesco Finest* Vintage Cheddar.
‘Strong Relationship’
Commenting on the new investment, Aisling Pearce, senior buying manager of chilled and frozen foods at Tesco Ireland, said, “Tesco has had a strong relationship with Bandon Vale, who has provided the majority of Tesco’s own-label Cheddar for the past three years.
“This latest chapter will see Bandon Vale provide more than 20 new products, including sliced and grated cheese, to Tesco.
“These products are firm favourites with our customers, who will enjoy the expanded range from this Irish producer.
“As the leading buyer of Irish food and drink in the world, our partnership with Bandon Vale reflects the ongoing and long-standing partnerships we have with the Irish agrifood sector.
“As a proud Cork woman, I’m particularly proud that products coming from West Cork will be available in our stores across the length and breadth of the country.”
‘Trusted, Quality Products’
Eilis Mahon, managing director, Bandon Vale, also welcomed the partnership extension, saying, “We are delighted to work with Tesco to bring more of our products to their customers around Ireland.
“We pride ourselves on providing a trusted, quality product, and we are committed to ensuring that all activities of the business are carried out with specific regard to their environmental impact.
“Bandon Vale is dedicated to continuous improvement in service and quality – we continue to invest in equipment, production facilities, and our people, to ensure we exceed customer requirements and expectations.
“The deepening of the relationship with Tesco in Ireland allows us to continue to do this, helping us to support more than 200 jobs in our communities here in Cork.”
As members of Origin Green, Ireland’s national food and drink sustainability programme, Tesco and Bandon Vale uphold stringent standards in protecting the environment and communities, with targets, measures and actions undertaken to act on their commitments to responsible practices in the industry.
Leading Buyer Of Irish Food And Drink
Tesco is the leading retail buyer of Irish food and drink in the world, with purchases totalling €1.6 billion a year, and the company is now a bigger buyer of Irish produce than any country in the European Union, according to Indecon Economic Consultants.
Tesco works with over 500 food and drink companies around Ireland, and, in turn, supports over 13,000 farming families.
Indecon estimates that almost three quarters of Tesco’s 500 Irish suppliers are small and medium enterprises, with fewer than 250 employees.
