ANTRIM food firm Golden Popcorn has won a tasty contract worth around €1million to supply its range of products into Aldi supermarkets network in the Republic.
The contract will see the firm manufacture popcorn under the Snackrite brand for Aldi in a new multi-bag format for its Irish supermarkets.
Golden Popcorn currently sells its award-winning popcorn - salty, sweet and a salty/sweet mix - to cinemas, retailers and the snack food sectors across Britain and Ireland.
“This Aldi deal is a major stepping stone in our growth journey," the company's managing director Sean McClinton said.
"Our recent growth in sales has led to us relocating to bigger premises in Antrim and this new investment, helped by £93,000 from Invest NI towards buying and installing new equipment, will help us scale up production and triple export sales over the next few years. We will also increase staff numbers to 21."
He added: “The support and advice from Invest NI has been invaluable. Without it we wouldn’t have been able to target and deliver bigger contracts with major supermarkets like Aldi, who have been fantastic in supporting us with this transition to a new pack format.
"From the first samples to seeing the product on shelf, their team have been incredibly supportive, which is giving us the confidence to target more new retail customers in what is turning out to be a very valuable market.”
Invest NI’s director of food and drink John Hood said: “This deal is a significant win for Golden Popcorn which has quadrupled its market share in the Republic of Ireland in recent years.
“The company’s increasing export sales is most encouraging and we will continue to work closely with the business as it explores new markets, including the Middle East.”
