Food processor Dawn Farms will pump €25m into its 'meat innovation' hub in Naas
The innovation centre designs products for restaurant chains and food manufacturers.
KILDARE-BASED FOOD processor Dawn Farms is pumping more than €25 million into its ‘meat science’ and innovation centre in Naas.
The company, which supplies cooked and fermented meat ingredients to food firms across Europe and the Middle East, is spending the millions on expanding its research and development arm.
Dawn Farms’ head of science and innovation Conor Cahill told Fora the R&D team develops food technology that goes into meat used in ready-made meals, as well as frozen pizza toppings and sliced ham and chicken for deli bars.
He said a team of 30 chefs, microbiologists and food engineers try out different flavours, ingredients and technologies to design cuts of meat that match consumer’s demands and follow food safety regulations.
“We’re making sure that we design in the appropriate food safety standards,” he said, “but also we deliver a high-quality, functional product that is as good on its first day as it is on its last day of shelf life.”
Head of science and innovation Conor Cahill
Consumer demands
The innovation centre is underpinned by a system called ‘Nectar’. Companies use it to tell Dawn Farms about what their customers are demanding and problems they are facing in their market.
The team of food scientists then use those ideas and suggestions to come up with new products and tweak existing ones.
Dawn Farms’ chief executive Larry Murrin said the firm is currently “seeing more demand for home-style authentic meats, new flavours and new snacking options”.
He said there is “ongoing interest in health and wellness” products too.
The company also announced today that it is hiring 150 people to work at the County Kildare hub.
Over the next five years, it will recruit food scientists, meat technologists and culinary experts, and will take on a number of graduates as well.
The meat processor, which was established in 1985, has its main base in Naas, but also has manufacturing operations in the UK.
It supplies products to restaurant chains and food manufacturers in more than 40 countries.
It was recently awarded a contract worth €850 million to supply meat to Subway stores in Europe for the next seven years.
Under the agreement, Dawn Farms will provide cooked sandwich meats to around 4,000 of the fast-food outlets located throughout the continent.
