Kinsale Bay Food Company lands contract with Tesco Ireland €1million agreement expands workforce by 47%

02 December 2014

Kinsale Bay Food Company, an Irish owned and operated artisan food producer, has signed a significant contract with Tesco Ireland to supply its products into 73 Tesco stores.

The agreement follows the company’s involvement in the Tesco Bord Bia Supplier Development programme and is worth approximately €1 million annually.

As a result of this investment, the company has recently expanded its workforce by ten and now employs a total of 31 people.

The multi-award winning Cork-based food manufacturing company specialises in restaurant quality food products with signature soups, pates and seafood dishes that are free from artificial preservatives and additives and are also gluten free.

Tesco Ireland will now stock 10 delicious products from Kinsale Bay Food Company’s portfolio, including a range of five new soups from the nutritious and hearty Potato and Leek, to its fat free Tomato and Basil and its Great Taste gold star winning Mushroom. Favourites also include the Kinsale Smokie, award winning Chicken Liver Pate & Smoked Salmon Pate which are now available nationwide in Tesco stores.

John Paul O’Reilly, Commercial Director, Tesco Ireland commented “This contract is a direct result of the Kinsale Bay Food Company’s involvement in the Tesco Bord Bia Supplier Development programme, a comprehensive and practical programme including workshops and mentoring which aims to help local suppliers secure, grown and maintain a listing with Tesco stores. We are delighted that through this programme local companies like Kinsale Bay Food Company have the opportunity to use Tesco’s scale to grow their business. Since launching in 2012, 33 companies have completed the programme and have recorded €16 million worth of sales to Tesco stores during this period.”

Jim O’Mahony, chairman, Kinsale Bay Food Company, said: "We are hugely excited about the opportunity this very sizeable contract represents for Kinsale Bay Food Company. It comes as part of an ongoing mutually beneficial relationship with Tesco, which saw us win a coveted place on the Tesco Bord Bia Supplier Development Programme. Through this programme Tesco have supported many Irish businesses like ours and for us it has led to further job creation, expansion in our range of products which are now available nationwide and further investment back into the business.”

Under the terms of the agreement with Tesco Ireland, Kinsale Bay Food Company will use Tesco’s, central distribution system, a significant endorsement by Tesco Ireland. For further details about Kinsale Bay Food Company and its product portfolio, visit www.kinsalebayfoodco.com