Dawn Farms, one of Europe’s leading suppliers of cooked and fermented meat ingredients to international foodservice chains and food manufacturers has announced plans to create 150 new jobs over the next five years. The investment by Dawn Farms which will amount to over €25m over the period is focussed on enhancing the company’s R&D capabilities at its Meat Science & Innovation Centre in Naas and is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through Enterprise Ireland.

Larry Murrin, CEO of Dawn Farms said: “Developing new products to meet changing consumer tastes has been at the heart of the growth of this firm for over 30 years. Our Meat Science & Innovation Centre at our Naas headquarters is the innovation hub where we support our customers in over 40 markets worldwide.”

“Great ingredients make great food and great ingredients come from outstanding food innovation. Consumers’ tastes are constantly evolving. We are passionate students of the marketplace and closely monitor consumer trends. We are seeing more demand for home-style authentic meats, new flavours and new snacking options as well as on-going interest in health and wellness across the range of meats that we cook.

“Today’s announcement is major vote of confidence in our people, our innovation process and our customers who are involved at every stage. This investment will enhance our capacity to research trends, to develop new products and exciting new production technologies while ensuring that the highest standards of food safety and security are upheld. Typically the new roles will be at least graduate level, with opportunities for more highly qualified food scientists, meat technologists and those with culinary expertise to join the company.”

The Minister for Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation, Mary Mitchell O’Connor said that the Dawn Farms story is a great example for the Irish agri-sector. “Dawn Farms’ success is based on its strong roots in Ireland, using our brightest and best food scientists to innovate new products and developing long term relationships with major international customers. In the 2017 Action Plan for Jobs, which we launched recently, we committed to supporting firms to diversify their trading footprint, enter new markets and grow international sales. The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, have been a consistent partner and supporter of Dawn Farms and today marks the latest step in that relationship.”

Julie Sinnamon, Chief Executive of Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland’s strategy is to support Irish companies to build scale and to expand their reach into international markets and we are delighted to support Dawn Farms as they enter into this new phase of growth and expansion. Enterprise Ireland has been working with Dawn Farms since its establishment and we’ve witnessed first-hand the company’s growth and evolution, deepening their presence in the UK as well as diversifying into new markets in the Eurozone region. Dawn Farms is an inspiring example of a company that demonstrates global ambition when it comes to its market export potential and is sending a very positive message to every Irish agri-food business, that it is possible to build an innovative and scalable company that can compete at the highest levels internationally.”