Page 56 - Our Wexford

Business Profile

DANONE

There are things we take for working on producing high-quality While breastfeeding is always
granted and we don’t even think infant and toddler milks for export recommended as the best nutritional
about their origins. For example, to a number of large markets. start in life, for those who can’t it is
we know that breastfeeding gives The factory itself has been on site comforting to know that Danone
your baby the best nutritional in Wexford for over 40 years but Nutricia Early Life Nutrition are
start in life, providing them with came under the umbrella of multi- manufacturing a high-quality infant
tailored nutrition on demand. But national Danone, which operates milk thanks to the excellence of the
for those who don’t breastfeed across five continents, about nine farmland and the farming itself in
they can be busy preparing a years ago. the region.
child’s bottle of milk, ready to Meanwhile, the support of
feed it to them on demand when “Our competitive advantage,” the Government through the
the need arises at any time of the as Wexford Site Director Liam Department of Enterprise, Jobs
day or night. For those in that Carmody puts it, “is our state-of- and Innovation and funding from
position, do they ever wonder the-art blending and packaging Enterprise Ireland helps to ensure
about where that powdered facility for infant and toddler milk. that Ireland remains a competitive
milk, so essential to the child’s “The company’s rapid expansion in location for Danone. The company
wellbeing and progress, actually recent years has come about through also enjoys supportive relationships
originates?
a series of major investments. with the local council and continues
Well, the truth is that in several These are a vote of confidence in to be one of the area’s largest
countries in Europe and, the future. In November 2014, we employers.
ABOVE: increasingly, the Far East, a opened a new packaging line at a
Liam Carmody, “There’s a real can-do attitude in
Wexford Site significant portion of that milk cost of €26 million and a further Ireland in relation to attracting
Director, Danone has come from a cutting edge expansion project is currently jobs and investment,” Liam says.
production facility in Wexford. under construction. These are the “Ireland has a positive reputation
most recent parts of an investment
Danone Nutricia Early Life of €250 million in our Irish within the Danone Group as a good
Nutrition is one of many success operations.” location. We have a great team here
stories in the region and has been who consistently deliver to a high
expanding in recent years from One of the key “ingredients,” standard, strong supports from the
a point where the Wexford plant in so many words, for the Government and together we have
employed about 110 people in 2012 Wexford facility is the easy continued to invest and grow the
to today, when 300 people are availability of quality raw material. operations. This has led to positive

56 OUR WEXFORD