Londonderry-based local cream liqueur manufacturer Niche Drinks is to build a new state-of-the-art distillery on the outskirts of the city in a £10m investment, it has been announced.
Niche Drinks, formerly St. Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur Co, is to seek planning approval for a change of use of its existing site at Rossdowney Road to a supermarket and to relocate the company to a new custom-built factory in Campsie which will house the distillery.
Niche Drinks have been manufacturing and exporting cream liqueurs from its site at the old Leckpatrick Dairy for almost 30 years.
Managing director, Ciaran Mulgrew, said keeping the site up to modern day production standards was becoming more difficult.
“Our business has remained strong even in the current climate and we have to plan for the future. We want to increase our production capacity and to add new technologies into the business and that is why we are looking to build a distillery in the new factory.
“Derry was the leading light in Irish whiskey production well into the early 20th century and we want to revive that tradition and create more indigenous manufacturing jobs.
“It is good news for Derry, we have employed local people on the Rossdowney site for 50 years and we hope that a supermarket development on the site will create more jobs for local people.
“At the same time investing in a new state-of-the-art drinks manufacturing plant in Derry will protect the current employees.
“This is a substantial investment for a small locally-owned business like ours, and we estimate that we will be investing £10m in the new build.
“We are currently in discussion with Invest NI on available sites in the Campsie area. This will enable us to retain our existing well-trained local workforce and we will add more new jobs with the distillery development.”
Niche Drinks currently manufactures Luxco’s St Brendan’s Irish Cream Liqueur, which is exported to the United States, Scandinavia, Russia and mainland Europe. The company also supply Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Aldi and ASDA.