FDBusiness.com

Lurgan-based Classic Mineral Water has made a £3.4 million investment to develop a third bottling line that will enable the production of isotonic beverages for the private label market for the first time on the island of Ireland. The Lurgan company manufactures a suite of products including still and sparkling water, flavoured waters, mixers, Isotonic and glucose drinks, and is one of only two firms in Northern Ireland and four on the island of Ireland to hold Mineral Water status.

The move follows significant investments in recent years, which have seen Classic Mineral Water increase capacity and efficiency and reduce production costs.

Liam Duffy (pictured left), CEO and owner of Classic Mineral Water, said: “Through investment in innovative technology and skills we have transformed Classic Mineral Water into a high-speed, state-of-the-art, soft drink processing facility and have achieved a six-fold increase in sales to £12 million in just a few years.

“This latest investment, which includes the installation of a new pasteurisation system, supports our next growth phase, enabling us to respond to market demand for high-value isotonic products. We are confident that this will push our overall sales up significantly, reaching over £20 million by 2024, and vastly increase our productivity.”

The investment will create 16 jobs, bringing the company’s total employment figure to 76, with 10 of the new jobs already in place.

It was supported by a capital grant from Invest Northern Ireland, which has worked closely with Classic Mineral Water over a number of years, providing a range of financial and non-financial support. This has included strategic advice and guidance, access to leadership programmes, consultancy support, and assistance with resource efficiency, job creation and management information systems.

John Hood (pictured right), Director of Food & Drink, Invest NI, said: “This investment has enabled Classic Mineral Water to manufacture a high value-added product and to increase output and productivity. It positions it strongly to increase sales into Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, potentially resulting in a 70 per cent increase in turnover.

“Through a range of support, Invest NI has helped the company to develop the infrastructure, expertise and support systems that are essential to enable it to realise its vision of becoming a major player in export markets.”

Classic Mineral Water is the oldest water bottling company on the island of Ireland and is an approved supplier of ALDI, Lidl, Dunnes Stores, Musgraves, Bestways and Tesco. It recently announced that it has signed a new £3.8 million deal with ALDI Ireland.