Dragon Brand Foods in bid to drive export growth with new investment

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Dragon Brand Foods in bid to drive export growth with new investment: Strabane based food manufacturer, Dragon Brand Foods is investing over half a million in jobs, innovation and a new factory with the support of Invest Northern Ireland.

Pictured at the site of the new factory at Strabane Business Park are (L – R) Paul McGuigan, Dragon Brand Foods, and Des Gartland, Invest NI.

Pictured at the site of the new factory at Strabane Business Park are (L – R) Paul McGuigan, Dragon Brand Foods, and Des Gartland, Invest NI.

The company is due to begin construction on its new factory at Strabane Business Park as part of its plans to grow its business. The company is also creating four new roles and is using a Grant for R&D to develop a new range of Free From sauces, dips and condiments for the more health conscious consumer.

Making the announcement, Des Gartland, Invest NI’s North West Regional Manager said:

“Dragon Brand Foods is a highly ambitious and export focused business with innovation at its core. The company is using a range of Invest NI support to drive efficiencies which will enhance its competitiveness in the global marketplace. The company’s decision to build a new factory at Strabane Business Park is a significant commitment and has involved a lot of preparatory work. I am pleased we have been able to help the company through this process and I look forward to seeing their plans come to fruition.”

The company’s investment will see it build 7,500 square feet of manufacturing space at Strabane Business Park. Invest NI developed the park to help address the shortage of available industrial land in the district and play an important role in supporting economic development in the local area. “This investment marks the next step in the company’s journey to achieving faster export growth and reaffirms its continuing commitment to the Strabane area. I hope that this announcement will act as a catalyst for further investment into the Strabane area”, continued Des.

Dragon brand Foods is making a total investment of £550,000. Invest NI has offered the company support of £153,563 towards creating four new roles, researching and developing new products and help building food safety protocols to drive growth in the ROI market.

Commenting on the investment, Paul McGuigan, Director of Dragon Brand Foods said:

“Our strategy is to pursue growth through investing in new products and innovation. Invest NI is providing us with invaluable support which is helping to safeguard our future and accelerate the future growth of our business. Building work for our new factory has already commenced and we look forward to growing our workforce to help us deliver valuable new contracts, particularly in the UK and ROI markets.”

Strabane Business Park offers potential tenants over 15 acres of serviced industrial land to help meet their immediate business growth needs.

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Kainos expands its digital presence In Derry

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Kainos announces the creation of 15 new high-tech roles at its digital hub in Derry – Londonderry.
Kainos Group plc, a leading provider of digital services and platforms, is celebrating the fifth anniversary of its Derry base with the announcement that 15 high value jobs will be created.

Kainos Team at Derry ~ Londonderry Offices

Kainos Team at Derry ~ Londonderry Offices

With a current workforce of 27 people in Derry, this latest job creation initiative will result in an increase of more than 40% at the company’s Strand Road base.

This time, Kainos is looking to recruit consultants for its WorkSmart division – a role that involves advising global organisations such as Diageo on how to implement the Workday Inc. Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) Human Capital Management and Financials product. The role requires a unique mix of technical and consulting skills, so will offer a highly rewarding career for the right candidates. The role will also be very well remunerated, with a potential salary of up to £42,000 depending on experience, which benefits not only the individual but also the local economy.

CEO of Kainos Brendan Mooney said: “A Workday consultant performs a role that is different to the traditional software engineer in Kainos, and requires the ability to listen to others and to understand how to make digital systems meet their needs. It’s a really interesting and varied role, with a clearly defined career path. The success of our digital services is built on the strength of the relationship we have with our customers, and that’s what makes this role so important.”

Kainos, which employs 1,000 people in eight offices across Europe and the USA, opened its Derry office in 2012 as part of a £10m investment.

“We’re proud of our achievements in the North West since opening five years ago and plan further growth over the next 12 months. This recruitment drive will support our ambitious European expansion strategy,”

Courtesy of Kainos Plc

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€10m Centre for Personalised Medicine, Clinical Decision Making and Patient Safety to establish at Ulster University

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Ulster University is to establish a Centre for Personalised Medicine, Clinical Decision Making and Patient Safety which aims to dramatically improve clinical decision-making and tailored patient care in five priority disease areas.

Professor Tony Bjourson, Professor of Genomics at Ulster University

Professor Tony Bjourson, Professor of Genomics at Ulster University


The research project, which will be a cross-border collaboration between the academic, clinical and commercial sectors, will focus on heart disease, emergency surgery, acute kidney injury, diabetes and dementia.

The EU’s INTERREG VA programme, which is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body, has offered Ulster University €8.6 million of funding for the Centre which will have an overall cost of €9.89 million. It is one of three Ulster University research projects to have secured funding as part of a recent €23 million SEUPB funding round.

The centre’s research will improve the health of tens of thousands of patients and help cut healthcare costs dramatically in Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and internationally.

Personalised medicine, also known as precision or stratified medicine, is a move away from a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the treatment and care of patients with a particular condition to one that uses new approaches, including genomics, to better diagnose and manage patients’ health and devise targeted therapies to treat their illnesses. This project will use research to deliver practical solutions to clinicians.

Professor Tony Bjourson, who is Professor of Genomics at Ulster University, will lead the project. He said:

“Ulster University has a longstanding historyof world-leading medical and health-related teaching and research. This new Centre for Personalised Medicine, Clinical Decision Making and Patient Safety will add yet another dimension to the University’s work and standing in this important area.

“Ulster invests £42m in research and innovation programmes each year. That research is often undertaken in partnership with commercial organisations ensuring it is relevant and applicable to real world problems. With the healthcare sector under immese pressure globally and the need for effective, tailored treatment options coupled with excellence of care, this INTERREG VA funded project will place Ulster University at the heart of the solution.”

The Centre’s research objectives include developing tools which will allow earlier diagnosis of dementia and therefore earlier clinical intervention and support, and also learning how to recognise acute kidney injury earlier to reduce mortality and hospital stay. It will also seek to improve the triage of patients with chest pain to allow more appropriate and rapid emergency referral, and look at how to help people better manage their diabetes.

Professor Bjourson added:

“Currently 30 per cent to 50 per cent of patients don’t respond to the treatment they are prescribed and this number is much higher for some diseases. Through this new Centre we will to improve the health of tens of thousands of people and at the same time develop more cost-effective healthcare not just here in Northern Ireland, but around the world. In addition we will be creating innovative products and new optimised care pathway tools and we‘re confident that this will attract investment that will contribute to economic growth.

“Translating the promises of personalised or stratified medicine discoveries from the lab to the clinic, where the rubber meets the road, is recognised as a major global challenge. The key strength of this project is that it is driving personalised medicine discoveries to the front line to help clinicians make better clinical decisions and improved treatment outcomes for us as patients.”

Welcoming the project Gina McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer with the Special EU Programmes Body, said:

“This project is a unique EU funded cross-border partnership that has the potential to revolutionise patient treatment and care for serious medical conditions. It represents a significant leap forward with research that can help create a more efficient and effective health service in Northern Ireland, the Border Region of Ireland and Western Scotland.

“Research undertaken by these renowned health and life sciences organisations, involved in the project, will also make a positive contribution towards the European Union’s 2020 target of increasing investment in Research and Innovation activity.”

The research institutes and companies that will be partnering with Ulster University in the new Centre are the University of Highlands and Islands, Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Donegal Clinic Research Academy, National University of Ireland Galway, Letterkenny University Hospital, the Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre, Western Health and Social Care Trust, NHS Highlands Scotland, United Healthcare Group/Optum, Clinishare Ltd, Advanced Research Cryptography Ltd, Randox Laboratories Ltd and Northern Ireland Clinical Research Services Ltd.

Match-funding for the project has been provided by the Department of Business , Enterprise and Innovation in Ireland and the Department for the Economy in Northern Ireland.

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RESEARCHERS TO UNDERTAKE POPULATION-BASED GENOMIC STUDIES IN NORTHERN IRELAND AT C-TRIC

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RESEARCHERS TO UNDERTAKE POPULATION-BASED GENOMIC STUDIES IN NORTHERN IRELAND AT C-TRIC.

Dr. Aaron Peace (CEO C-TRIC), Dr. Tony Bjourson (Ulster University) & Dr. Sean Ennis (Genomics Medicine Ireland)

Dr. Aaron Peace (CEO C-TRIC), Dr. Tony Bjourson (Ulster University) & Dr. Sean Ennis (Genomics Medicine Ireland)


Transformational Research Aims to Unlock Keys to Lifelong Disorders including MS and IBD
Irish life sciences company, Genomics Medicine Ireland, is to collaborate with the Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC), Western Health and Social Care Trust (Western Trust) and Ulster University to undertake comprehensive, population scale genomic research studies in Northern Ireland.

The first two studies will focus on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), lifelong chronic diseases for which there is currently no known cause or cure. The studies are launching in the Western HSC Trust with roll out planned across Northern Ireland in early 2018.

People from across Northern Ireland with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) are being invited to contact their healthcare professionals to learn how they can participate in the studies which aim to identify the genetic cause of these diseases and ultimately find better treatments, diagnoses and cures for these chronic conditions.

MS is one of the most prevalent diseases of the central nervous system and directly affects an estimated 2.5 million people worldwide and more than 4,500 people in Northern Ireland. IBD is chronic inflammatory gastrointestinal disorders primarily affecting adults in the prime of their life. There are two major forms of IBD, Crohn’s disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) affecting about 8,000 in Northern Ireland.

Volunteers participating in these studies will be contributing to important scientific research aimed at unlocking the mystery of the genetic and lifestyle factors that contribute to MS and IBD. Researchers will combine advanced scientific technology in genomics, the study of all of a person’s genes, together with detailed clinical information to search for answers that one day might lead to the development of new therapeutics for more effective prevention and wellness.

The Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC) is a unique facility promoting and facilitating translational and clinical research, the primary objective of which is to reduce both the time to market and the costs associated with research and development of innovative health technologies, medical devices and therapeutics. C-TRIC’s unique infrastructure and key support staff will help facilitate the clinical research and innovation of these studies.

Dr. Sean Ennis, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Genomics Medicine Ireland said, “We look forward to working closely with C-TRIC and Ulster University to develop better new means to optimise health and patient outcomes. The size and characteristics of the Northern Ireland population can powerfully advance scientific discovery as our researchers are able to pinpoint variations in DNA that are relevant to these diseases and useful for improving medicine. The resulting therapies to cure and prevent these diseases will benefit patients both Northern Ireland and around the world.”

Dr. Aaron Peace, CEO of C-TRIC and Director of Research and Development, Western Trust said: “C-TRIC and the Western Trust are delighted to be part of this exciting research collaboration with Ulster University. This is the largest genomics research study undertaken on the island of Ireland to date that has the potential to make a significant genetic contribution to new therapeutic opportunities for people with MS and IBD. C-TRIC, Northern Ireland’s healthcare innovation hub and award winning centre is proud to manage these sponsored studies for GMI.”

Professor Tony Bjourson, Director of Ulster University’s Northern Ireland Centre for Stratified Medicine who is leading the project in Northern Ireland said: “MS and IBD are severe, long-term diseases which dramatically impact a person’s ability to live a normal, active life. We know that genomics holds the key to many unanswered questions and Ulster University is one of the leading institutions focusing on this area of highly specialist, personalised approaches to medicine. The collection of genomic data among Northern Ireland’s population will help drive development of novel therapeutic drugs and diagnostics and ultimately we hope, will lead to more targeted treatments for these debilitating conditions.”

Genomics Medicine Ireland is currently undertaking genomic studies in the Republic of Ireland. The company is building Ireland’s first, purpose-built genomics sequencing laboratory to undertake world class research into major chronic diseases within oncology, neuroscience and immunology that affect hundreds of thousands of people on the island of Ireland and hundreds of millions worldwide.

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Niche Drinks secures lucrative South Africa export deal for Quiet Man whiskey

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Niche Drinks secures lucrative South Africa export deal for Quiet Man whiskey.

Pictured in South Africa are Michael Morris sales director, Niche Drinks and Steve Harper, Invest NI executive director of international business. Niche has agreed a new export deal with major wholesaler and retail chain Ultra Liquors

Pictured in South Africa are Michael Morris sales director, Niche Drinks and Steve Harper, Invest NI executive director of international business. Niche has agreed a new export deal with major wholesaler and retail chain Ultra Liquors

DERRY-based whiskey maker Niche Drinks has continued its international expansion by securing a lucrative export contract in South Africa.

The company, which also makes cream liqueurs, flavoured vodkas, ready-to-drink cocktails and microwaveable Irish coffees, will supply its Quiet Man whiskey brand to major wholesaler and retail chain Ultra Liquors in a deal that could be worth a quarter of a million pounds.

The export order, secured with Invest NI trade support, is initially for one container of 1,000 cases, but further are expected. The first foray into the South African market comes just weeks after Niche secured its first Russian orders of The Quiet Man whiskey in a £340,000 deal.

Speaking to the Irish News commercial director of Niche Drinks Michael Morris said Ultra Liquors was the “perfect fit” for the company and said there are high hopes for replenished orders very quickly.

“We’re going into full distribution in their cash and carry network, which is 70 big stores across the country. So that means our secondary distribution could be between two and three hundred outlets, maybe more. The hope would be that in a calendar year we could send four or five containers of whiskey down there.”

The Derry firm believes the deal could be worth at least a quarter of a million pounds a year and if successful may include its cream liquor.

Now in 22 international markets including the UK, US, western Europe and Scandinavia, the Russian and South African deals are part of ambitious plans for growth to see the Quiet Man brand grow into a global brand.

“We’ve got our core distribution in Europe and the US and the domestic markets and now we’re looking at South East Asia and eastern Europe and South Africa as part of phase two growth. In terms of the plans for phase two, getting the Russian deal and now the South African one means we’re well ahead of our forecast.”

Mr Morris also confirmed that initial demolition work has taken place at the former Ebrington Barracks site in Derry- the location for the company’s new whiskey distillery.

The £12 million investment is expected to lead to the creation of 35 jobs at Niche Drinks, which already employs 70 people at its Rossdowney Road site. It is hoped the new site will be open sometime between spring and early summer next year and help the firm reach its lofty goals.

“It will make an enormous difference and will kick us on to a new level. Once we are in production at the distillery it will increase our capacity to rapidly expand.”

“Our expectation is that The Quiet Man from the city of Derry will become an internationally-recognised premium product,” he added.

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Dairy firm LacPatrick’s British trade up as Brexit looms

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Dairy firm LacPatrick’s British trade up as Brexit looms.

LacPatrick has just invested £30m in new facilities at its plant in Artigarvan, County Londonderry

LacPatrick has just invested £30m in new facilities at its plant in Artigarvan, County Londonderry


A leading Northern Ireland dairy firm has seen its trade with Britain grow by almost a third as companies there reposition for Brexit.

LacPatrick has just invested £30m in new facilities at its plant in Artigarvan, County Tyrone. It said big name food firms based in Britain had begun to source ingredients from it. Businesses involved in the manufacture of chocolate, biscuits and sauces have all been in touch. All are large consumers of dairy powder ingredients.

Previously, they would have imported them from EU countries including the Republic of Ireland.
LacPatrick chief executive Gabriel D’Arcy said a bid to manage risk around tariffs post-Brexit was prompting UK firms to look at sourcing dairy produce from UK manufacturers. LacPatrick has traditionally sent milk powder from its Artigarvan plant to markets in west Africa and the Middle East.

That is currently done under EU trade agreements with those countries. Mr D’Arcy acknowledged there was a risk that his firm could lose access to those markets if the agreements could not be replicated by the UK after Brexit.
But he said he hoped that any transitional arrangements agreed with the EU would include trade deals.
In any event, he said, he was confident that there was a ready market in Great Britain for Northern Ireland dairy products.

“If it comes to it, we have an outlet for every single molecule of the milk we produce and process within the GB and UK markets,” he said. LacPatrick collects 500 million litres of milk in Northern Ireland a year.

The £30m investment in new drying facilities at Artigarvan means it can now process all of that locally without the need to send NI milk to its plants across the border for treatment. That reduces concerns around tariffs and other non tariff barriers post brexit. The company says it is the biggest investment by a dairy company on a single site in a generation.

In coming days they’re inviting the 700 farmers who supply them and some of their international customers to tour the plant, which employs 70 staff. The new equipment will allow it to produce new products such as long life ingredients for vending machines in Japan and a “just add water” powder which is used to make instant liquid milk and is popular in the Middle East.

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The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey Expands To New Markets

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The Quiet Man Irish Whiskey Expands To New Markets.

Quietman Irish Whiskey

Quietman Irish Whiskey


Niche Drinks in Northern Ireland has won business in Russia worth £340,000 for its Irish whiskey, The Quiet Man, as well its Irish cream liqueurs.

Based in Derry, Niche Drinks is building a new distillery for whiskey and other spirits on a site near the city, once home to Ireland’s largest whiskey business.

The new distillery is expected to begin producing spirit in mid 2018. It will be the first distillery in Derry for more than a century.

The Quiet Man company, owned and run by Ciaran Mulgrew, the managing director of Niche Drinks, has been selling whiskey for over a year and currently exports to around 40 markets worldwide including the US where the whiskey is distributed by Luxco, a marketing business which owns the Saint Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur brand that is produced at Niche Drinks in Derry.

Robin Young, finance director and company secretary of Niche Drinks, commenting on the latest exports, says: “We are very happy with our success to date. Our long term growth plans are progressing well and we continue to focus on building our export sales, particularly in the U.S and Europe markets.

“We recently secured our first Russian orders for our Quiet Man Irish Whiskey and both Causeway Coast and Shannon’s Irish Cream Liqueurs as a result of a visit to Russia at the beginning of this year and we continue to build distribution in the market there.”

The Quiet Man has won a series of international awards for its single malts and premium blend.

The new state–of–the–art distillery will feature a purpose–built visitors’ centre on the site, which is located at Ebrington Square on the outskirts of Derry city. It will shortly begin installation of two pot stills and is among a new generation of whiskey producers emerging across Ireland.

Northern Ireland currently has two whiskey distilleries – Old Bushmills in county Antrim and Echlinville in county Down. A further three are in the pipeline as the rebirth of the Irish whiskey gathers momentum.

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Primrose cafe to create 40 new jobs in Londonderry

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Ciaran and Melanie Breslin from Primrose Cafe

Ciaran and Melanie Breslin from Primrose Cafe


Primrose cafe to create 40 new jobs in Londonderry.
The Primrose cafe group is to create 40 new jobs as part of a major expansion in Derry. The family-run business is due to open its new premises on the Strand Road at the end of October 2018.The roles will be a mixture of full and part-time, including chefs, waiting staff, baristas and bakers.

The first Primrose cafe was opened in 2012 with four staff. The company now employs 38 people across two locations at Carlisle Road and Atlantic Quay. The husband-and-wife team behind it, Ciaran and Melanie Breslin, said it was an exciting new development. “Primrose is our life and soul,” said Ciaran Breslin. “Everything revolves around Primrose, so to see the new premises coming together is so exciting for us. “We’re constantly trying to evolve the business and stay ahead of trends, so we’re confident this will be the start of something completely new for Derry.”

The Breslins also own butchers shops at Whitehouse retail park and Lisnagelvin shopping centre in the Waterside.
“Derry’s become a real food destination, and it’s wonderful to be part of that,” said Melanie Breslin.
“The Strand Road has been very derelict these past few years, and with the new hotel under construction and two new bars it’s great to see a bit of life coming back into the area.”

Primrose has been supported by the North West Regional College’s Foodovation centre, which nurtures and develops food businesses across Ireland. Its general manager, Brian McDermott, said it was one of the centre’s success stories. “Any jobs in the hospitality sector have to be welcomed, and this goes to show just how vibrant the food and drink industry is in Derry at the moment,” he said.

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Derry Strabane Global – Sept 2017 Newsletter

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In this edition you will find interesting articles about what is happening in Derry City and Strabane District, bios of Derry Londonderry Dispora, human interest stories about Derry Strabane connections, a snapshot of jobs & key employers recruiting in the area, plus lots more.

September 2017 Issue

Read Derry ~ Strabane Global – Connecting With Our Diaspora

 

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12 new jobs being created by Londonderry manufacturer Carella Laminate Systems

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12 new jobs being created by Eglinton manufacturer Carella Laminate Systems.

Invest NI’s North West Regional Manager, Des Gartland (left) is pictured with Seamus Heron, Carella Laminate Systems.

Invest NI’s North West Regional Manager, Des Gartland (left) is pictured with Seamus Heron, Carella Laminate Systems.


Carella Laminate Systems is expanding its workforce in Londonderry to help secure new business in the interior fit-out markets across Great Britain and Republic of Ireland.

With support from Invest Northern Ireland, the manufacturer is recruiting 12 additional staff by 2019 and investing in all areas of the business including sales, production, management and service. The company has also expanded its facilities, recently developing bespoke premises in Campsie Industrial Estate.

Speaking about the plans, Managing Director Seamus Heron said: “We have seen a recent uplift in projects secured across Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland and want to continue to grow our market share, driving sales of our worktops and contract interior fit-out solutions. The bespoke site we developed at Campsie and our new machinery has enhanced our production capacity and improved the efficiency of our operations.
“The 12 additional staff we are recruiting with help from Invest NI will support the anticipated growth in workload. It will also give us the necessary capability within the team to tender for new higher value projects in our target markets.”

Carella Laminate Systems provides interior fit-out solutions for customers in the health, education and leisure sectors and also manufactures and supplies worktops and bonded boards for the kitchen and bedroom market.

Welcoming the investment, Bill Montgomery, Invest NI Director of Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering said: “Carella has an ambitious strategy to grow sales in Great Britain by 70 per cent over the next three years and is focused on positioning itself to achieve this objective.

“Invest NI’s support has already enabled the company to undertake research visits in its target markets, in a bid to establish new customer relationships. The £90,000 offered towards the 12 new jobs will ensure Carella has the resources its needs to avail of its identified business opportunities. The new roles will be recruited over the next two years and once in place will contribute £407,000 in additional salaries to the local economy.”

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