FDBusiness.com

White’s Speedicook, Northern Ireland’s only oat miller and a leading producer of porridge oats and other snack and breakfast products, is creating 29 new jobs as part of significant expansion plans. The company, which is based in Tandragee, has been part of the Fane Valley Group of Armagh since 1994.

The expansion plans represent a £1.5 million capital investment in buildings, plant and machinery over the next three years. Invest NI is supporting this through providing assistance of £217,500.

To achieve its objective of doubling sales and profits over the next three years, White’s Speedicook has developed a new business growth strategy that involves process improvements, skills development and new marketing initiatives to raise its profile in its existing markets as well as the rest of Europe, US, Asia and the Middle East.

Trevor Lockhart, Fane Valley chief executive, says: “This is a very significant expansion for White’s and is an integral part of our wider Fane Valley Group strategy to grow our business operations profitably by sharpening our focus on sales outside Northern Ireland. White’s is operating in the immensely competitive and fast moving breakfast cereal marketplace. We benefit particularly from our sustainable supply chain and close relationship with local farmers, which ensure the provenance, traceability and safety being increasingly demanded by consumers in many international markets.”

General Manager James Mathers comments: “We have invested heavily in our mill in Tandragee in recent years from the most advanced Photo scanning technology to more recently the installation of two new packing lines. The business now has the capability to produce multiple pack formats from traditional block bottom, vertical form fill & seal, sachet portioning, caddy and ‘eat on the go’ pots. Health & convenience represent two key consumer trends which White’s is ideally placed to service. The benefits of regularly eating porridge oats has been well recognised by consumers and health professionals. Our focus is on producing healthy, convenient and natural products and making them available to time pressed consumers. The opportunities looking forward are very exciting.”

Farmer-owned co-operative Fane Valley is one of Ireland’s most progressive agri-food businesses, with interests in dairy processing, red meats, feed compounding, agricultural supplies, and renewable energy, operating across Europe. The company has a turnover in excess of £525 million, with over 2,100 employees with sites in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England and Belgium.

CAPTION:

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Arlene Foster is pictured at White’s Speedicook with (left) James Mathers, General Manager, White’s, and Trevor Lockhart, Group Chief Executive, Fane Valley Group, after announcing that the Tandragee based company is creating 29 new jobs as part of significant expansion plan.