The County Down food producer Finnebrogue has announced a £2.8 million investment to upgrade its three-year-old plant-based food factory.

The manufacturer supplies UK supermarkets, and is also known for its pork sausages, wagyu burgers and nitrite-free Naked Bacon. It has installed 2,846 solar panels on the roof of its vegan food factory, and is expanding car parking and infrastructure around the site to accommodate further growth.

Finnebrogue said its latest investment will eliminate 580 tonnes of CO2 emissions, provide further energy security and provide the company with the additional infrastructure required to accommodate its growth within the plant-based category.

According to Finnebrogue, its overall company revenue is likely to surpass £200 million this year, up from £188 million last year. The business’ plant-based output is up threefold since 2021, making a broad range of plant-based food formats on a private-label and co-manufacturing basis.

The solar panels will come on stream July 2023, while additional infrastructure including car parking and roadways will be finished by the end of the year.

Finnebrogue investment looks to reduce food industry carbon emissions

Commenting on the announcement, Finnebrogue’s chief strategy officer Jago Pearson said: “As we continue on our growth trajectory in the plant-based sector and across the other categories in which we play, we also continue to invest in our people and our facilities. We are privileged to have four outstanding food production facilities in County Down, the oldest being just eight years old, but we are always seeking ways in which we can make improvements so we can make more food the best it can possibly be.

“Our latest investment in our industry-leading plant-based facility will reduce our carbon emissions, deliver additional energy security and provide us with additional room to grow.

“We are particularly confident about the increasingly significant role we can play in the plant-based category in the years to come, our output having grown threefold in two years and our development teams working intensively on the agenda-setting innovation that has always been the foundations of our success.”