Baileys sales surge prompts Diageo plant expansion
Diageo is planning a major extension and redevelopment at its Mallusk site on the back of growing demand for Baileys.
The news comes a month after the dinks giant revealed it is to more than double its canning production in Northern Ireland as part of a £24.5 million investment in its East Belfast facility.
The multinational is spending a total of £40.5m to expand capacity at its packaging facilities in Belfast and Runcorn in England.
The plans are set to support the world-wide growth of Guinness Draught, Guinness Zero and Guinness Nitrosurge.
Belfast’s investment will see existing warehouses converted into a new state-of-the-art packaging line capable of producing 72,000 cans per hour.
Diageo is making the investment to meet global demand for Guinness products from domestic and export markets, with the expansion set to support accelerated production and product innovation.
Aidan Crowe, operations director for Beer at Diageo, said: “This expansion is a significant investment in the development of our packaging facilities.
“The projects in Belfast and Runcorn will support our growth ambitions, helping us to deliver end-to-end product innovation, and reinforce our agility to meet demand and provide excellent service to our customers around the world.”
Deirdre Delaney, operations manager at Diageo’s Belfast packaging site, added: “This is an exciting time for our site in Belfast as we invest in our business to support the growth of our business.
“We contribute considerably to the local economy in Belfast and the £24.5 investment will further support our supply chains and local communities.”
News of the Mallusk expansion emerged as Baileys launched a new limited edition Eton Mess flavour.
The bottle size is 70CL with an alcohol percentage of 17% and an Eton Mess flavour made up of meringue and summer berries.
