£2m investment expands yoghurt production at Clandeboye and brings 13 jobs

A £2 MILLION expansion to the yoghurt-making business at Clandeboye Estate near Bangor has led to the creation of 13 production and management jobs.

The investment, which includes £470,000 from Invest NI, will enable the company to build a new factory on the grounds of the sprawling state, which will allow it to quadruple production of its yoghurt to 80 tonnes a week and expand sales into international markets.

Clandeboye's range of award-winning yoghurt is already widely available in supermarkets, garages, farmers’ markets and independent shops across Britain and Ireland.

The self-sufficient Clandeboye is one of Ireland’s oldest and largest estates, and has been making its artisan yoghurt brands for more than a decade using milk from its pedigree Jersey and Holstein herd.

Invest NI's food director John Hood said: “This investment will allow the company to quadruple its production capacity and double its workforce in the Ards and North Down area.

“Food and drink companies generated £5 billion in Northern Ireland last year and continues to be a major contributor to the local economy.

“It's great to see companies like Clandeboye focusing on innovation to remain competitive and continuing to expand and invest.”

Bryan Boggs, general manager of Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, said: “As the only yoghurt manufacturer in Northern Ireland, our mission is to grow the brand as sustainably as possible and to maintain the high quality of our offering.

“This investment is enabling us to build a new factory and invest in specialist machinery, which will give us the capacity to produce up to 80 tonnes of yoghurt a week, or over four times what we normally produce.”

Clandeboye estate is owned by the 79-year-old conservationist and businesswoman the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava (otherwise known as Lindy Hamilton-Temple-Blackwood).

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