Work begins on building on strong connections made in Boston and Philadelphia

, , ,

Work begins on building on strong connections made in Boston and Philadelphia

Ireland Northwest Delegation members

Ireland Northwest Delegation members


A first ever North West Trade delegation trip to Philadelphia next summer is one of a number of positive outcomes from last week’s joint Council led trade and investment mission in North East America.

The delegation, led by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh and Leas Cathoirleach of Donegal County Council, Councillor Noel Jordan, included representatives from 15 local companies, Údaras Na Gaeltachta and senior council officers.

Representatives from Ulster University, North West Regional College and Letterkenny IT also made the trip as the region presented a united front to showcase its offering for inward investment and potential export opportunity.

A key element of the trip was showcasing the region’s entrepreneurship and innovation and to provide local companies with an opportunity to tie into the US market.

The delegation returned to Ireland at the weekend and work has already begun on building on the strong connections made during their week in the US.

“The mission sought to build on the ongoing positive work being carried out by the two Councils to establish strong economic development links and initiatives in the US,” explained Chief Executive of Derry City and Strabane District Council John Kelpie.

“We showcased the region as a well placed, cost competitive investment hub with high speed broadband and a young, talented and well educated workforce.

“Our message was well received and the challenge now is to build on the many positive connections the Councils and travelling companies have made to deliver increased education links and export relationships between our two regions and attract more direct investment into the North West region.”

The delegation began their five day trip in Philadelphia where they met with the City’s Mayor Jim Kenney and representatives from the City’s Chamber of Commerce and civic representatives to plan the details on the 2018 trade mission.

After a day exploring business and life science partnerships in the City of Worcester and an evening meeting with Irish Consul-General Fionnuala Quinlan on Tuesday, the delegation met up with the 15 local companies for the start of three days of networking in Boston.

On Wednesday morning, the Ireland North West Showcase presentation at allowed both Councils to sell the region as a prime area for investment before a networking event allowed the local companies to meet with potential partners in the US.

Thursday saw the delegation take part in an Invest NI breakfast with Ireland’s Ambassador to the US Daniel Mulhall and key decision makers before a meeting with the City of Boston International Economic Development Office and a visit to Boston’s House of Representatives.

The week climaxed with the annual Golden Bridges Conference and Awards on Friday at the Seaport Hotel and World Trade Centre where officers from Ulster University, Letterkenny IT and the North West Regional College joined representatives from Harvard in a panel discussion on the benefits of a strategic alliance between the three further and higher education providers in the region and the increasing partnerships with Boston-based colleges.

Delegates heard from Derry City and Strabane District Council Chief Executive John Kelpie and Donegal County Council Chief Executive Seamus Neely who discussed Ireland’s role as America’s Best Friend in Europe. Officers from both Councils also discussed ‘Driving Tourism to the North West through World Class Events’ and ‘Helping Start-ups Survive and Thrive’.

Reflecting on the trip, Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh, said the joined up approach of the region’s civic, business and educational representatives filled him with optimism for the future.

“The message from the Ireland North West delegation was very clear, that we were a prime location for inward investment and trade with Derry as a city operating in partnership with the regional towns of Strabane and Letterkenny,” he noted.

“The trip highlighted the importance of the joined up strategy of our educational institutions with the North West Regional College’s campuses in Strabane and Derry working alongside their colleagues in Ulster University and the Letterkenny Institute of Technology.

“Those institutions’ are part of a strong working relationship with Council and our local businesses and their flexibility in being able to adopt to the needs of industry to address any skills shortages was reassuring to potential investors.”

Among the companies from the Derry City and Strabane District Council area in the Ireland North West delegation are AE Global (formerly Allpipe Engineering); The Clinical Translational Research and Innovation Centre (C-TRIC); ActionSense Ltd; Makematic; NeuroConcise; O’Neill’s Irish International Sports Co Ltd; Troll Inc; and Type 40 Creative.

While Aniar Cumhacht Teoranta; Algaran Teoranta; O’Donnell’s Bakery; Silver Birch Gallery; Meastoiri Domhanda Teo; Eilis Galbraith and DS Environmental Services Ltd from the Donegal County Council area also took part.

/by

Derry set to strengthen trade links with China

, ,

Derry set to strengthen trade links with China

The city of Dalian and Zhongshan Square, Liaoning Province, China

The city of Dalian and Zhongshan Square, Liaoning Province, China


Derry’s council is set to strengthen its trade links with a city in China as part of a push to attract future investment, it’s emerged.

The move is part of a wider strategy by Derry City and Strabane Council, which also involves building trade relations with Boston and Philadelphia.

Earlier this week a delegation, led by Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Maolíosa McHugh and Leas Cathoirleach of Donegal County Council visited both regions to discuss bolstering trading links between the northwest and the US.

It’s now emerged that council has now its sights set on Dalian in the Liaoning Province of China as a potential target for future trade missions.

Dalian is seen as the financial, shipping and logistics centre for Northeast Asia.

The plans were discussed at Friday afternoon’s meeting of council’s Business and Culture committee, where Stephen Gillespie, Director of Business and Culture with the council, gave an update on its International Relations Activities.

The meeting heard that council has been undertaking activities to ‘enhance its reputation and capacity to attract investment, expand business opportunity, extending the global reach of the region and its economy’.

As part of this, Mr Gillespie added that council is ‘actively developing its international connections through a range of channels and relationships such as trade missions and international activation visits’.

He continued: “These relationships need to be formalised over time and a number of activities are in the pipeline which will strengthen this.”

He added these would involve a range of partners include the Ulster University, North West Regional College (NWRC), Invest NI and ‘other bodies with shared ambitions’.

Councillors were then asked to give approval for the council to develop more formalised relationships with the City of Dalian, Laoning Province, China, which was agreed.

At the same meeting, approval was also given for council to develop and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with the City of Boston.

/by

Ireland North West and City of Boston sign MOU

, ,

Ireland North West and City of Boston sign MOU

Civic leaders from the City of Boston and the North West of Ireland sign an MOU

Civic leaders from the City of Boston and the North West of Ireland sign an MOU


Civic leaders from the City of Boston and the North West of Ireland have signed an MOU this week to formalise their economic partnership.

The ‘Boston-Ireland North West Innovation Economic Partnership’ pledges to further develop and expand the existing bilateral relationship between the two regions to create business and job opportunities through joint initiatives in innovation and trade.

The Transatlantic partnership was signed during this week’s visit of a local trade delegation to the Massachusetts city led by the Derry / Strabane and Donegal Councils.

Earlier this week, the Ireland North West delegation, that includes Council CEOs John Kelpie and Seamus Neely and Council officials, visited Philadelphia where a working group agreed to a first ever trade mission from Derry/Strabane and Donegal visiting the city this summer.

The Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, also met the delegation who spent a full day in Pennsylvania’s largest city exploring opportunities for business and educational partnerships.

The MOU agreement with Boston will initially focus on the fields of entrepreneurship, life sciences and healthcare technology and aims to build upon the successful economic development missions to Boston in recent years.

“I would like to warmly welcome the signing of this Memorandum of Understanding between our two regions,” said Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council at this week’s signing in Central Boston.

“I look forward to seeing the development and implementation of our joint and coordinated initiatives, initially in the areas of Entrepreneurship, Life Sciences and Healthcare Technology.

“Our regions have been closely linked through our diaspora for generations and I am pleased that we have been able to formally strengthen that link with this new partnership that can help accelerate business growth and create new jobs.”

Leas Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Councillor Noel Jordan added:

“This is a hugely positive development that builds on the strong work that has gone on behind the scenes in recent years to strengthen the economic partnership between our regions.

“The joint initiatives committed to today will help expand the growth of our shared industries and strengthen the assets that are key to the North West region’s economy growing and being globally competitive in the future.”

Among the responsibilities of both regions detailed in the memorandum are the sharing of best economic practices to strengthen their mutual abilities to support bilateral trade.

The parties have also agreed to encourage academic research and development collaboration in life sciences and healthcare technology, as well committing to the promotion of economic development and opportunities for small businesses.

/by

Ulster University one of eight UK universities in major data science partnership with the BBC

, ,

Ulster University one of eight UK universities in major data science partnership with the BBC.

uu-corp-logo
Ulster University has been announced as one of just eight UK universities to form a major five-year research partnership with BBC Research and Development to unlock the potential of data analysis in the media.

The Data Science Research Partnership will be at the forefront of machine learning in the media industry, helping create a more personal BBC that can inform, educate and entertain in new ways.

The partnership brings together industry experts from across the BBC and world-leading UK data scientists from Ulster University, with the Universities of Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and Surrey, Imperial College London, Queen Mary University of London, and University College London.

Ulster University will contribute its wealth of research and sectoral expertise from media and journalism, film and television to data analytics. The university’s advanced research into data driven journalism and viewer engagement will be of particular relevance to the partnership.

The partnership will also collaborate with media and technology organisations from across the UK, Europe and internationally on a range of projects. These will focus on the following four areas, all combining anonymised BBC data with cutting-edge algorithms and analytics. The aim is to create a body of research, insights and prototypes that can start making a real impact on the BBC and its audiences.

The research will assist with:

Understanding audiences: Use data to better understand what audiences want from the BBC, why they want it, and what impact these programmes or services have on them.

Understanding content: Explore what machine learning can teach the BBC about its programmes and services,and what it stands to gain from it.

Curation and personalisation: Create a more personal BBC, designing tools and algorithms to help programme makers with editorial and commissioning decisions.

Content of the future: Design future audience experiences, based on BBC R&D’s object-based broadcasting concept, and new forms of data journalism.

Alongside this will be a range of educational opportunities to help the BBC and its staff improve the skills they’ll need in a data-driven future. This will include the development of tailored courses ranging from entry-level to advanced, MSc Data Science apprenticeships, and secondments between the BBC and all the research partners, including Ulster University.

Professor Paddy Nixon, Vice Chancellor Ulster University said:

“Ulster University continues to work at the forefront of data analytics, pioneering advances across multiple domains including health and medical research, financial technology, international finance, advanced manufacturing and energy and, media.

“With the launch of our Cognitive Analytics Research Laboratory earlier this year, the first data analytics institute in Northern Ireland, Ulster University cemented its reputation as a global leader, a position which is now even further enhanced by this partnership with the BBC.

“Combined with our work in the broader creative industries and the development of industry-relevant courses, this partnership will see Ulster University play an integral role in shaping the future of broadcasting. It will ensure that one of the world’s biggest public service broadcast organisations can fully harness the power of data and computer systems with cognitive thought processes to deliver unrivalled audience experience.”

Matthew Postgate, the BBC’s Chief Technology and Product Officer, said:

“The BBC has always been at its best when it combines creativity with technology. As we reinvent the BBC, we can see the opportunities that data and machine learning are opening up for us, our creative talent and our audiences. This partnership will help us break new ground and ensure we continue giving audiences the very best in public service broadcasting well into the future.”

Samantha Chadwick, Head of Partnerships, BBC R&D, said:

“Machine learning is going to play an increasingly important role in the world. Together with our partners and funding bodies, we want to apply these advances in data science to the media industry, and to make a real difference to people’s lives. The partnership will also address the scarcity of data scientists in the UK, training a new generation of data scientists on real media problems, to create new audience experiences that don’t even exist yet.”

At the announcement Ulster University presented key aspects of ongoing research including work carried out through a recently formed Ulster University spinout, NeuroCONCISE. The firm develops technology that enables people to interact with technology and communicate by analysing brain waves. Although the research initially was developed for healthcare, Ulster University is now applying it to journalism and creative media as one method of predicting and understanding audience behaviour.

/by

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

, , ,

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.

/by

Kainos expands its digital presence In Derry

, ,

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

/by

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

, ,

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.

/by

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

, ,

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.

/by

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

,

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.

/by

Dairy firm LacPatrick’s British trade up as Brexit looms

, ,

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.

/by