BELFAST food firm Tom and Ollie has opened a new production facility and created nine jobs in a £300,000 investment.
The finance, backed by Whiterock Finance’s Growth Loan Fund II, has also helped the artisan food manufacturer expand its retail division and expand its online and food delivery offering, with over 300 products now available for next day delivery across Ireland.
The company, which is a staple of St George’s Market in Belfast, specialises in producing handcrafted Mediterranean deli foods with over 65 lines made in-house, including hummus, pesto, tapenades, harissa paste and a variety of marinated olives and peppers.
Tom and Ollie’s customers include Dunnes, Nisa and Spar.
Company director Shay Mullan said: “The investment has been brilliant for us. The pandemic was devastating for our wholesale market and being able to invest in our website and operate a delivery service has been invaluable to our business during a year of lockdowns.
“We can now deliver an unrivalled selection of the best of Irish and European foods to doorsteps across the region. We also developed a full retail offering which is available across the Island in a number of local shops, farm shops and large retailers.”
Invest NI has offered the company £48,000 towards the creation of the nine new jobs.
The £30m finance for the Growth Loan Fund II is also provided by Invest NI, with part of the funding sourced from the European Regional Development Fund.
Jenna Mairs of Whiterock Finance said: “It’s great to be able to support local artisan-makers, especially those with skills and knowledge like the team at Tom and Ollie.
“The tenacity of the business and its ability to pivot quickly was exceptional during the pandemic when their traditional revenue streams generated from foodservice wholesale was non-existent.
“The ability to adapt and develop both a retail offering and an online delivery service is a testament to the passion the team at Tom and Ollie put into their craft and Whiterock has been delighted to be able to support that process.”
Invest NI’s William McCulla, added: “In recent years, we have supported Tom and Ollie to help it build its sales in external markets.
“Our latest support for nine new jobs, combined with this Growth Loan Fund II investment from our suite of Access to Finance funds, will see the company expand its business to achieve further success internationally.
“We very much look forward to continuing our support with the company in the years to come.”
