Supermarket giant Aldi has given Ballybofey company Mulrines a huge boost.
The chain agreed a one-year contract extension with the juice producer Mulrines that will see the business provide over €7 million worth of Irish-made fruit juices and smoothies to Aldi’s 137 stores nationwide.
Under the new agreement, Mulrines will increase the volume of product it supplies to Aldi by over 20% year on year.
It will also see several new innovative products developed exclusively for Aldi customers, including a premium 100% Irish fresh apple juice.
Mulrines is one of Aldi’s longest-serving suppliers in Ireland, partnering with Aldi since 2002.
Since 2003, it has also worked with Aldi’s UK business and will supply 1.8m units of juice products to Aldi UK stores this year.
With production facilities and orchards in Ballybofey and Kill, Co. Kildare respectively, Mulrines has created first-class Irish fruit juices and smoothies since 1919.
It employs 180 people across production, sales and innovation roles. It is the only juice producer in Ireland that grows its own fruit, processes it and sells the finished product. This year, Mulrines is celebrating being in business for 100 years.
Welcoming the new agreement, Peter Mulrine, CEO of Mulrines said: “The new contract extension is great news for our business and for Aldi shoppers, who will now get the chance to enjoy even more of our home-grown and produced juices. Our ongoing success is down to our unwavering focus on product innovation, quality and responding to ever changing customer preferences.”
Aldi’s Group Buying Director, John Curtin said: “We know that for our customers, Irish produced products are always their first choice. Mulrines share our passion for making the very best Irish products available to consumers at prices that can’t be beaten. We are looking forward to continuing to work with them to bring many new and exciting Irish fruit juices to our customers.”
Aldi is committed to growing its Irish supply base and increasing the number of Irish products available in its stores. It is investing more than €500,000 in year two of its Grow with Aldi supplier development programme, which offers up-and-coming artisan Irish food and drink producers the chance to have their products listed in Aldi’s 137 stores.
Aldi also recently increased its support for small Irish suppliers by reducing its payment terms to 14 days for suppliers that transact up to €300k annually with Aldi. Aldi will sell over €700 million worth of Irish goods this year, sourced from Irish producers, manufacturers and suppliers across the country.
