Buchanans Nut Factory Secures £1m Contract

Local nut businesses WG Buchanan and Son Ltd has secured a contract worth over £1 million with a UK firm as it opens a new factory and recruits more staff.

The company, well-known to consumers as Buchanans, imports, packs and distributes rice, cereals, pulses, nuts and bakery ingredients, along with its renowned 'soup mix'; the staple ingredient of traditional soups and broths.

The firm invested over £1m to develop a new standalone 12,000 sq. ft. factory on its Carrickfergus site which will lead to the creation of 13 jobs. Management are also celebrating winning the £1m deal for the supply of dried fruit and nuts with a UK buying group.

Job opportunities at the factory will include roles in sales, administration, and production and processing, along with roles at management level. The 13 new positions are expected to contribute an additional £225,000 in salaries to the local economy and generate a boost for the east Antrim area.

Philip Johnston, Director of Operations at Buchanans, said the separate processing and warehousing plant will remove potential cross contamination and provide greater reassurances to customers with nut allergies. Buchanan's products were already packed using dedicated machinery and strict allergen controls within the existing site, however the management remained conscious of concerns over serious allergies, especially of peanuts.

Invest Northern Ireland has offered the company £213,000 towards the factory build and the upgrading of machinery and equipment, to streamline its production process and increase efficiencies.

Mr Johnston continued: "I would like to thank Invest NI for its continued support throughout our journey so far. This substantial investment has already enabled us to grow sales in Great Britain, starting with a significant contract win, made possible by the increased capability our new factory has to offer. It will also provide additional capacity to grow our business in the Republic of Ireland, which is currently our biggest market outside the UK."

John Hood, Director of Food & Drink at Invest NI, congratulated the company on its expansion: "Buchanans is a well-established company, renowned for its quality, service, price and brand name. We have worked with it closely for many years, previously supporting its initial move to a 25,000 sq. ft. production facility at our Trooperslane Business Park in Carrickfergus.

"This recent support has helped Buchanans to develop a new standalone nut factory, complete with state-of-the-art processing and packing facilities, which has already led to substantial success in external markets."

Invest NI's support is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the EU Investment for Growth and Jobs Programme 2014–2020.