KEOHANE Seafoods in Bantry has signed a €20m deal with Lidl making them the retailers largest fish supplier.
The West Cork seafood supplier will export to a number of Lidl stores across UK, Europe and USA as part of the deal.
Salmon, mackerel, trout, and coley are just a few of the products in Keohane Seafoods’ growing range available in Lidl’s stores in Ireland and Northern Ireland. As part of the new contract the company have been awarded supply of three new fresh salmon items to two Lidl Great Britain regional distribution centres in Avonmouth outside of Bristol and Bridge End in Durham worth over €4m.
Keohane Seafoods was founded by Michael (Mike) Keohane and his two sons Colman and Brian in 2010. In 2011 they secured their first contract with Lidl Ireland supplying just two salmon darnes, alongside a cod and mackerel product. Since then, the 10-year partnership has surfed a wave of success.
The seafood business now employs a workforce of more than 220 employees – becoming one of Ireland’s largest quality seafood processors.
With facilities in Bantry and Cork city, they supply both fresh and frozen products to the domestic and international markets, as well as local restaurants and hotels.
They are past winners of The Southern Star West Cork Business of the Year title.
Colman Keohane, managing director, said that the partnership with Lidl over the past 10 years has brought success to the company.
‘Lidl has been a long-standing partner of ours and through the considerable investment from their team it has given us a huge opportunity to place our products on the plates of Lidl customers across the domestic and international market. We strive to provide a trusted quality product and sustainability is a core value that is very important to us. All our seafood is sourced from responsibly-managed fisheries and farms. And with the support from the team at Lidl we can maximise the ongoing investment by adjusting the way we operate so we can continue to innovate, create new products and reduce environmental impact of the range,’ said Mr Keohane.
Brendan Conway, head of buying at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland added: ‘This latest partnership with Keohane’s amplifies the quality and success of their products with our customers here and abroad. Through Lidl’s ongoing investment over the years Keohane’s have considerably upscaled their business providing significant employment opportunities to the local community.
‘Their commitment to product development, business innovation and sustainable initiatives never ceases and exemplifies our business ethos at Lidl. We are delighted to be part of their journey to creating a premium product that we are thrilled to place in Lidl stores.’
