Dawn Farms to create 150 jobs after £21M investment

27-Feb-2017 - Last updated on 27-Feb-2017 at 15:45 GMT

Cooked meats maker Dawn Farms will recruit 150 new staff over the next five years

Cooked meat ingredients maker Dawn Farms will recruit 150 new workers over the next five years, after a €25M (£21.3M) investment.

The Irish manufacturer will be hiring graduates, food scientists, meat technologists and culinary experts, it confirmed on Friday (February 24).

The investment will improve Dawn Farms’s research and development department at its Meat Science and Innovation Centre in Naas, County Kildare. That included developing new products, monitoring consumer trends and improving production facilities.

‘A major vote of confidence’

Dawn Farms ceo Larry Murrin said: “Today’s announcement is a 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, while ensuring that the highest standards of food safety and security are upheld.

“Great ingredients make great food, and great ingredients come from outstanding food innovation. Consumers’ tastes are constantly evolving. 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.”

Dawn Farms is recruiting for:

Graduates
Food scientists
Meat Technologists
Culinary experts

Dawn Farms’s recruitment drive would encourage the entire Irish food industry, claimed Julia Sinnamon, chief executive of Enterprise Ireland – the government agency responsible for supporting Irish manufacturers.

‘An inspiring example’

Sinnamon said: “Dawn Farms is an inspiring example of a company that demonstrates global ambition when it comes to its market export potential.

“[It] 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.”

The planned recruitment drive came less than a month after Dawn Farms signed a £724M (€850M) contract to supply 4,000 Subway sandwich restaurants. The deal, agreed on February 3, will run for seven years to 2024, and encompasses 30 European countries.

Meanwhile, food and drink supply chain firms have created more than 5,000 jobs since the beginning of 2017.