Ballyrashane Co-op has officially opened a new £8m ‘‘high-care’’ butter plant, as the business seeks to secure the future for its 150-strong workforce and 107 farmer suppliers around Coleraine and the north Antrim coast.
The new 35,000ft2 development includes a production area, as well as chilled and deep freeze facilities.
Ballyrashane Co-op chief executive Nigel Kemps said that the new facility will allow the co-op to double its capacity to make butter, improve overall efficiency and help to open up new opportunities in the export market. This includes potential new business to Japan, as well as consolidating existing business in countries such as Germany, Belgium and France.
‘‘High care’’ relates to the control of both the atmosphere and the people flow into the new production facility, minimising the risk of contamination of product during manufacture. That, along with the fact that the operation is ‘‘carbon neutral’’ due to the £3.5m anaerobic digestion plant commissioned in September 2012, means that the co-op has ‘‘unique selling points’’ to attract new and existing customers.
Sales and marketing
Much of Ballyrashane’s sales and marketing effort is through its trading partner, Greenfields Ireland Ltd, based in Belfast and De Brandt Group, a Belgian-based company with which Ballyrashane has built a strategic working relationship. De Brandt is a major trader of butter, selling around 80,000t per year.
Particular customers want textured butter products, which is a key part of the Ballyrashane expansion. This textured butter is especially suited for use within the croissant baking industry due to its consistent hardness and ‘‘workability’’. The new factory can manufacture this product using anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and ‘‘bought-in’’ butter as an alternative to cream, if necessary.
The £8m project includes almost £1.3m of assistance from Invest Northern Ireland and an additional £0.5m provided by DARD through its Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme.
The investment makes Ballyrashane the largest butter manufacturer in NI, with product sold under its own label, and also under other brands including Brakes Food Service and Fonterra’s Anchor butter brand.
The link to the Anchor brand was obtained through Greenfields, which also has its own branded butter products supplied by
Ballyrashane.
As well as butter, Ballyrashane supplies liquid milk to the Henderson Group (Spar and Vivo labels) and to Marks and Spencer. It is also a supplier of specialist regato cheese to the Greek market.
Thurs 18 September
Texel rams 130 head, show 6pm, sale 7pm, Lisahally mart. Suckler herd dispersal for Lawrence McEldowney, 65 cows and heifers, two bulls, Swatragh mart, 7.30pm. Details Paul TN 07711 226 056.DARD greening seminar, Millbrook Lodge, Ballynahinch, 8pm.Fri 19 September
Health screening unit, Ballymena mart, 10am to 4pm.Sat 20 September
Bluefaced Leicester sheep 308 rams 43 females, show 8am, sale 10am, Ballymena mart.Springhill ram sale for John Foster, Texel, Charollais and hybrids, Omagh mart, 12noon. Details John TN 07711 101 461.Glenbush sheep sale, Mule ewe lambs, Blackface wether lambs, Armoy mart, 12noon.Mon 22 September
Texel sheep 62 rams, show 6pm, sale 7pm, Markethill mart.Elite dispersal sale 400 Lanark ewes for John and Graham Loughery, 11am, followed by Blackface ewes, hoggets, ewe lambs, Ballymena Mart.Charollais pedigree sheep show, Ballymena Mart, 7pm.Tues 23 September
All breeds dairy sale, Kilrea Mart, 11.30am.Limousin Club AGM, The Rugby Club, Dungannon, 7.30pm.Wed 24 September
Holstein NI show starting at 10.30am, followed by sale 11.30am, Moira Sales Arena.Thurs 25 September
Texel rams and females, show, Clogher mart, 11am.Multi-breed ram show and sale, Kilrea mart, 7pm.Fri 26 September
Dispersal sale 80 Friesian X dairy cows for Arnott Anderson, Ballymena mart, 11am.
Ballyrashane Co-op has officially opened a new £8m ‘‘high-care’’ butter plant, as the business seeks to secure the future for its 150-strong workforce and 107 farmer suppliers around Coleraine and the north Antrim coast.
The new 35,000ft2 development includes a production area, as well as chilled and deep freeze facilities.
Ballyrashane Co-op chief executive Nigel Kemps said that the new facility will allow the co-op to double its capacity to make butter, improve overall efficiency and help to open up new opportunities in the export market. This includes potential new business to Japan, as well as consolidating existing business in countries such as Germany, Belgium and France.
‘‘High care’’ relates to the control of both the atmosphere and the people flow into the new production facility, minimising the risk of contamination of product during manufacture. That, along with the fact that the operation is ‘‘carbon neutral’’ due to the £3.5m anaerobic digestion plant commissioned in September 2012, means that the co-op has ‘‘unique selling points’’ to attract new and existing customers.
Sales and marketing
Much of Ballyrashane’s sales and marketing effort is through its trading partner, Greenfields Ireland Ltd, based in Belfast and De Brandt Group, a Belgian-based company with which Ballyrashane has built a strategic working relationship. De Brandt is a major trader of butter, selling around 80,000t per year.
Particular customers want textured butter products, which is a key part of the Ballyrashane expansion. This textured butter is especially suited for use within the croissant baking industry due to its consistent hardness and ‘‘workability’’. The new factory can manufacture this product using anhydrous milk fat (AMF) and ‘‘bought-in’’ butter as an alternative to cream, if necessary.
The £8m project includes almost £1.3m of assistance from Invest Northern Ireland and an additional £0.5m provided by DARD through its Processing and Marketing Grant Scheme.
The investment makes Ballyrashane the largest butter manufacturer in NI, with product sold under its own label, and also under other brands including Brakes Food Service and Fonterra’s Anchor butter brand.
The link to the Anchor brand was obtained through Greenfields, which also has its own branded butter products supplied by
Ballyrashane.
As well as butter, Ballyrashane supplies liquid milk to the Henderson Group (Spar and Vivo labels) and to Marks and Spencer. It is also a supplier of specialist regato cheese to the Greek market.
Thurs 18 September
Texel rams 130 head, show 6pm, sale 7pm, Lisahally mart. Suckler herd dispersal for Lawrence McEldowney, 65 cows and heifers, two bulls, Swatragh mart, 7.30pm. Details Paul TN 07711 226 056.DARD greening seminar, Millbrook Lodge, Ballynahinch, 8pm.Fri 19 September
Health screening unit, Ballymena mart, 10am to 4pm.Sat 20 September
Bluefaced Leicester sheep 308 rams 43 females, show 8am, sale 10am, Ballymena mart.Springhill ram sale for John Foster, Texel, Charollais and hybrids, Omagh mart, 12noon. Details John TN 07711 101 461.Glenbush sheep sale, Mule ewe lambs, Blackface wether lambs, Armoy mart, 12noon.Mon 22 September
Texel sheep 62 rams, show 6pm, sale 7pm, Markethill mart.Elite dispersal sale 400 Lanark ewes for John and Graham Loughery, 11am, followed by Blackface ewes, hoggets, ewe lambs, Ballymena Mart.Charollais pedigree sheep show, Ballymena Mart, 7pm.Tues 23 September
All breeds dairy sale, Kilrea Mart, 11.30am.Limousin Club AGM, The Rugby Club, Dungannon, 7.30pm.Wed 24 September
Holstein NI show starting at 10.30am, followed by sale 11.30am, Moira Sales Arena.Thurs 25 September
Texel rams and females, show, Clogher mart, 11am.Multi-breed ram show and sale, Kilrea mart, 7pm.Fri 26 September
Dispersal sale 80 Friesian X dairy cows for Arnott Anderson, Ballymena mart, 11am. 
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