AN Armagh mushroom firm has invested more than £1.5 million in a new processing and packing facility.
The expansion by Button Farm Mushrooms will also see the creation of four new jobs.
The company was only formed earlier this year by brother Jonathan and David McKew who have more than 25 years’ experience in the compost industry.
The firm already employs 14 staff and plans to expand from producing mushroom compost to mushroom growing, processing and marketing.
Jonathan McKew said: “We have noticed a real shift in the UK and Irish mushroom industry, with a growing demand for high quality produce. As a result of this we are now keen to expand the business and have invested over £1.5m to construct and operate six mushroom growing rooms and a modern, high tech, mushroom processing and packing facility.
"We have also invested in the latest technology, being the first company in the UK to use a harvesting machine to pick the mushrooms. The picker has sped up our processing time, enabling us to double the amount of mushrooms picked to 70 kilograms an hour."
The company currently sends 98 per cent of its produce to Tesco in Great Britain but David McKew said there are "future plans to sell to multi-national and smaller retailers. We are also focusing on developing our current produce and bringing new products to market.”
The expansion has been supported by a £200,000 loan from the Growth Loan Fund.
David McCurley, senior investment manager at WhiteRock Capital Partners, which administers the fund said: “The McKew brothers have extensive experience in the agri-food sector and this latest expansion to the business is testament to their growing reputation.
“The business is growing its export links right across the UK and is a perfect example of the type of company the Growth Loan Fund is keen to support.”
