Secretary of State opens new £40m Baileys factory

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Paul Murphy has today opened the new £40.5 million Baileys factory on the outskirts of Belfast.

The company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of international drinks group Diageo, already employs 50 people at its site in Mallusk and hopes to recruit a further 50 people over the next three years.

The 100,000 sq ft state-of-the-art production facility, which has received financial assistance from Invest NI, will manufacture, bottle and pack Baileys Cream Liqueur for the global market.

Mr Murphy said: “Diageo’s significant investment is a further endorsement of Northern Ireland as a world class business location by a company with a global reputation for excellence. This increased confidence in Northern Ireland’s future is also seen in the 258 development projects by existing companies assisted by Invest NI last year, a total investment of £400 million and one of the highest investment commitments in recent years.

“This new investment is a very significant boost for the area and the wider Northern Ireland economy which has grown steadily over the past decade and is now the most improved economy in the United Kingdom with unemployment at a historically low level of around five per cent - well below European averages. It will provide 100 new jobs in an area which has suffered a number of serious setbacks from the global economic downturn."

Paul Walsh, Chief Executive Officer of Diageo, described the new facilities as "world class" in terms of equipment, technology, culture, work practices and environmental care.

He said: “The support we have received from Invest NI and the local community together with the skills and motivation of the people here have fully justified our decision to locate this important investment by the group in Northern Ireland.”

He said the company is currently sourcing over £2 million per annum from local suppliers and will continue to explore options for using more Northern Ireland suppliers for its raw materials.

(MB)