Huge news from our Corporate Patron, DELI LITES in Warrenpoint who are making a significant investment of £19m to expand its sandwich production and ‘heat-to-eat’ product range, creating 130 new jobs in the process.
A planned £12.8m investment to automate the company’s production and broaden its product range is supported by Invest NI’s Agri-Food Investment Initiative. A further £6m investment by the company will help upskill the existing workforce and create 130 new jobs.
Established in 1998 by husband-and-wife, Brian and Jackie Reid, DELI LITES supplies fresh gourmet sandwiches and food-to-go products to convenience stores, supermarkets, major coffee chains and international airlines. Customers include Applegreen, Costa Coffee, Aer Lingus and American Airlines.
As well as expanding its storage and production process, DELI LITES will continue to invest in Research & Development to enhance their product range for international markets. DELI LITES’ investment will also increase its capabilities and reduce food waste by up to 50%.
The new jobs include a range of highly skilled positions, ten of which are management positions, including a new Chief Commercial Officer.
The Agri-Food Investment Initiative is open to applications from all eligible agri-food and drink processors in Northern Ireland to access support towards productivity improvements.
Invest NI’s Agri-Food Investment Initiative is a £46m scheme to support local agri-food and drink processors to improve competitiveness and productivity.
Economy Minister, Dr Caoimhe Archibald who helped make the announcement at the Warrenpoint HQ of DELI LITES, commenting:
“The North’s food and drink processing sector is a true local success story, with latest statistics showing that it generates £6.5 billion in sales and supports over 25,500 jobs across our towns and countryside.”
“This investment will unlock significant growth opportunities for DELI LITES in this exciting sector. Increased capacity and new automated equipment will boost productivity and enable it to expand its fresh and frozen ranges, growing its sales in Britain and Ireland, and open up additional export markets.”
“With 78% of our food and drink sold outside the north, this industry showcases the quality, innovation and global appeal of what we produce right here at home.”
“The creation of 130 new jobs in Warrenpoint, which will help leverage almost £10m in wages and salaries across the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area by 2027, is also good news as we work to deliver a more regionally balanced economy.”
Brian Reid, CEO at DELI LITES said:
“Since our beginnings over 30 years ago, we are now an all-Ireland business with export sales growing in international markets. We’ve always been a trailblazer in our sector, shown when we became the first sandwich maker in the UK and Ireland to achieve B Corp certification.”
Jackie Reid, Co-Founder & CSO at DELI LITES added:
“Bringing even more products to our snacking and convenience range and investing in production and automation will significantly increase our capacity and customer reach.”
“We are delighted to be growing our team in Warrenpoint to bring further expertise into the business and help us achieve our vision, to transform how the world experiences food on the move.”
Gráinne Moody, Director of Food and Drink at Invest NI said:
“This significant project builds on our previous support for DELI LITES to develop its product range for the European market. Its success has positioned the company to become a key supplier for the global airlines sector.”
“This new project will increase innovation and boost productivity by transforming labour-intensive processes and increasing digitalisation. Our overseas trade teams are also working with DELI LITES to explore new international markets as it grows.”
As a Chamber, we are immensely proud to have Jackie Reid, Co-Founder & CSO at DELI LITES sit on our Board of Directors alongside 14 other incredible local business leaders.
The DELI LITES story is a truly inspiring one as the business continues to soar from its humble beginnings and we wish you every continued success in the years to come.
For more info on DELI LITES, please visit:
www.delilites.com