FDBusiness.com

Lidl Ireland has announced a major supply deal with Kildare-based cooked meats producer, O’Brien Fine Foods, valued at €60 million. This new deal will see O’Brien Fine Foods supply to Lidl stores across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain and across mainland Europe including Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Romania and Slovenia.

Established in 2000, O’Brien Fine Foods is a family-run business based in Timahoe, County Kildare and operates from two dedicated facilities in Kildare and Westmeath. O’Brien Fine Foods have supplied Lidl’s own brand sliced ham and beef lines since 2011, bringing their 100% Irish, Bord Bia Quality Assured products to Lidl’s customers every week. The longstanding partnership with Lidl has been key to O’Brien Fine Foods growth journey and has contributed to the expansion of their workforce from 250 to 600 employees in recent years.

Commenting on the new deal, Kevin Duffy (pictured left), Senior Buying Director for Lidl Ireland, said: “Supporting the growth and success of Irish producers locally and worldwide is a key focus for us at Lidl. O’Brien Fine Foods are a valued and trusted supplier of Lidl for many years, and we are proud to continue to build on our longstanding partnership. Our range with O’Brien Fine Foods brings high quality, 100% Irish, Bord Bia Quality Assured sliced ham, beef and poultry products to Lidl stores not just in Ireland and Northern Ireland but in Lidl stores across the globe, showing the best of Irish produce on the global stage.”

John O’Brien (pictured right), Managing Director, O’Brien Fine Foods, commented: “Our partnership with Lidl, which started in 2011, has helped our family-run business in County Kildare thrive immensely. It has enabled us to invest in our business and grow our team substantially. Lidl has given us the opportunity to enter new international markets for the first time and bring our quality Irish products to customers across Europe. We are grateful for their continued support and look forward to working with Lidl for many years to come.”

Sustainability is at the core of both Lidl and O’Brien Fine Foods’ business strategy. O’Brien Fine Foods has been a member of Lidl’s Supplier Engagement Programme since 2022. The first of its kind in Irish retail, Lidl’s Supplier Engagement Programme is a five-year programme which aims to develop long-term sustainability plans for the retailer’s key suppliers, focusing on areas such as carbon emissions, packaging reductions, circular economy, as well as biodiversity and water quality. O’Brien Fine Foods is one of more than 100 of Lidl’s suppliers attending its annual Sustainability Summit in the retailer’s Dublin Head Office this week, where Lidl will hold educational sessions delivered by industry experts on critical upcoming sustainability topics in order to support its supplier network on their sustainability journey.

O’Brien Fine Foods is one of Lidl’s growing network of more than 400 Irish suppliers. In 2022, Lidl procured more than €1 billion worth of goods from the Irish agri-food industry and of that, €318 million was exported internationally through Lidl’s expansive store network across the globe. Lidl has also invested more than €8 million to date in its annual Kickstart Supplier Development Programme which gives small to medium sized Irish food and drink suppliers the opportunity to have their products sold in Lidl stores across the island of Ireland.