DERRY meat processor Foyle Food Group swung back into profit last year after Irish beef was put back on the menu in the United States.
The Campsie-headquartered firm recorded £3.5 million profits in 2015 following a £5.3m loss the previous year.
The performance followed a 6.7 per cent jump in turnover to £297.2m.
The group is wholly owned by the Acheson family and, now in its fourth decade, employs 1,007 people across nine facilities.
In their strategic report filed with annual accounts at Companies House, directors said: "After difficult trading conditions in 2014, the group has returned to normal levels of profitability in 2015.
"The directors are pleased with the result for the year and group position at year end and they continue to monitor trading conditions, in particular the buy-sell margin.
"The group's strategy is to create shareholder value by investing for the long term, positioning the group to be the leader in its chosen marktes, maximising volume growth and cost efficiencies."
The business is one of a handful of producers in Europe with approval to export to the United States.
With the capacity to process 300,000 cattle per year, the group's emphasis on grass-fed Irish beef propelled it to the top of US menus in March last year - after an absence of 15 years.
The first consignment of beef from Foyle Food Group arrived in America for St Patrick's Day last year and was distributed by the Amboy Group in New Jersey to major retailers such as Whole Foods, ShopRite and Kroger.
Although the overall number staff rose over the year, the company's wage bill contracted slightly to £21.7m.
Directors pay totalled more than £1m, with the highest paid receiving in excess of £230,000 including pension contributions.
The firm's parent company is Faughan Limited which had profits of £2.5m for the period against a £6.1m loss in 2014.
