Business

Foods Connected to create 20 jobs in north west in major investment

Gary Tyre (left) of Foods Connected with Invest NI's Des Gartland
Gary Tyre (left) of Foods Connected with Invest NI's Des Gartland Gary Tyre (left) of Foods Connected with Invest NI's Des Gartland

TWENTY jobs are being created by a Derry software firm as part of a £1.7 million investment to reach out into global markets.

Foods Connected says the move - which has been supported to the tune of £157,000 by Invest NI - will help it increase its export sales and keep up with the growing demand for its services.

The company provides a range of cloud-based software tools to help companies in the food industry manage processes and information across supplier approval, quality and trading, resulting in reduced costs and increased profitability.

It currently employs 19 staff a the City Factory in Derry, and has satellite offices in Belfast and Sydney.

Foods Connected co-founder and system development director Gary Tyre said: “This investment forms part of our long term growth strategy to become a market leader in management tools for the food sector.

"We’ve been delighted with the practical support and expert advice from Invest NI which we have used to redesign our brand and support our company expansion plans.

“Over the last few years, demand for our products has grown rapidly with projects well under way with major food processors and retailers in the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

"Recruitment for the new jobs is under way and will give us the resources to keep up with demand and ensure we are well positioned to take advantage of the wide range of growth opportunities we have identified over the coming years."

Des Gartland, Invest NI’s north west regional manager, said the Foods Connected investment will generate more than £800,000 a year in additional salaries to the local economy.