EXPORT FOCUS WINS EVRON NATIONAL AWARD

Portadown-based company Evron Foods has won a prestigious national business award for its focus on export.

The company, which specialises in producing a variety of part-baked breads, frozen dough, and speciality breads for the UK and overseas markets, picked up top prize in the Northern Ireland 'Fit for Market' Exporter of the Year category in the Food from Britain Export Awards 2006, run in association with the Royal Bank of Scotland and The Grocer magazine.

Now in their tenth year, the Food from Britain Export Awards are regarded as the Oscars of the food and drink export world, bringing together all the UK's leading export companies to recognise achievements and celebrate success from across the food and drink industry.

The announcement comes at a time when the company's exports currently total more than 90 per cent of total sales, with a new purpose-built manufacturing facility in Wales further highlighting Evron Foods' commitment to developing overseas trade.

"It is a real honour to have been won this award," said Dominic Downey, Sales and Marketing Director at Evron Foods. "To have our efforts in terms of innovation and export recognised in this way by the eminent panel of judges is a major boost for our developing profile in Britain."

Commenting on Evron Foods' success, Simon Waring, Marketing and International Management Director at Food from Britain, said: "Evron Foods has demonstrated a brave and committed vision for developing its export markets. Its positive response of investing in a new facility in Wales shows its determination to grow as a business."

Portadown bread company taps into Armagh apple market to produce new apple pie range

A PORTADOWN-based speciality-bread manufacturer is poised to tap into the riches of the orchard county by expanding into apple pies.

Award-winning EVRON Foods, which last year won a three year contract to supply SUBWAY stores across the UK and Ireland with bread sticks, today confirmed a major investment in new technology that would add to its bread-making capacity and enable it to add bramley-filled apple pies to its wide range of frozen and chilled bakery products.

Founded in 1983 and with a workforce of around 180 people, the company has invested in some of the most modern equipment in the bakery-manufacturing industry and will start production of its new apple pie range next month.

Operations Director, Dermot Dornan explains: "We are based in Co Armagh and with it being the 'orchard county' we believe we have a unique market advantage. We have agreed a number of supply contracts already and we're convinced these fresh apples coupled with our unique pastry product is the perfect ingredient for a delicious apple pie."

EVRON has also invested in a number of new machines to be used in the production of its core bread products. Including new Record Jaguar flow-wrap machines which provide high-quality sealing and packing for retail products such as its garlic breads, sold in outlets ranging from Centra to Tesco. Aimed at maximising the shelf-life of the food, the machine also enables a quick and effective change of product which saves not just time but left-over packaging. Three of the machines have already been installed while a fourth has been ordered.

Also recently installed was an automatic packing machine devised by French company De La Ballina.

According to Dermot Dornan, the machine has been designed to speed up the high output section of the production line using digital cameras which scrutinise the process. The system is used in New Zealand and Eastern Germany, making EVRON the first company in the UK to install and utilise the high-tech equipment.

He continues: "Overall the new investment will enable us to do what we are currently doing, only better. We have invested in modern versions of our existing machinery which will improve effectiveness and efficiency. Having learned more about the new machinery we bought, we can use that knowledge to influence future investment.

"We have trained our staff on-site to use the new technology and our new dough divider. The operators have been trained with an emphasis on maintenance as opposed to actually operating the machines. We have used the same dough dividing process for the last 15 years but this equipment takes production to a new level.

"Staff are being re-deployed and learning new skills and there is always scope for promotion from within but of all the investments we make, the most important is investment in people. The staff are very positive about all the improvements and we this investment confirms the fact we are a dynamic, innovative and growth-focused company."

The rise and rise of EVRON Foods

With an annual spend of some £40bn the UK's food industry is going through some of the most dramatic changes for years. Evolving consumer habits, the seemingly incessant growth of the retail multiples and increasing competition have meant companies like Portadown-based speciality bread producer, EVRON FOODS have had to focus on enterprise and innovation in order to succeed. The company's Marketing Director, Dominic Downey talks with Ulster Business.

Dromore man, Dominic Downey is one of two EVRON staff members who can remember vividly the first day the company opened for business in Portadown in 1984. Marketing Director Downey, one of four shareholders behind what has emerged as one of the province's real food processing success stories of recent years, reckons the difference between life or death in his sector is innovation and enterprise.

In the past ten years EVRON, which produces a wide range of frozen and chilled speciality breads and bakery products for customers including Subway, Asda and Waitrose, as well as a range of items under its own EASIBAKE brand, has invested heavily in new technology and machinery to help carve out an increasing market share in a segment worth around £110m and dominated by plcs.

"In many ways the fact we are competing against a number of giants has worked for us," says Downey. "Yes, on the one hand, the big players have deep pockets, however, being independent and comparatively small we are always well positioned to react quickly to customer needs and changing market conditions. If you like it helps us to be fleet-footed and flexible"

For EVRON the past three years have seen steady growth in turnover from £8.3m in 2003 to around £12m in 2005 - an impressive performance when set against a backdrop of mass redundancies amongst Northern Ireland food processors. Recently the company was buoyed up with news of a £15m contract to supply sandwich giant Subway with breadsticks across the UK and Ireland. However, Downey insists EVRON will not be resting on its laurels.

"We plan to grow Group turnover within the next two years to £20m, primarily through the opening of a new processing facility in Pontypool, Wales, "he reveals. "While there will be some orders transferred to the new location from Portadown in the early days, we plan to utilise the additional capacity by offering to work with our customers on a collaborative basis in new product development."

Downey sees new product development and innovation as key to EVRON's success.
"Innovation is a prerequisite not just for success but for survival within our industry. As well as being the lifeblood of the business for many years it has been one of our unique selling propositions which has helped us to compete successfully against some of the biggest players in the sector. For example in the past ten years or so we have invested heavily in what was Ireland's first automated French bread production line which enabled us to produce some of the finest French bread around and put us in pole position in the whole French-bread market."

EVRON's Portadown facility, in the Carn Industrial Estate, employs around 150 people and boasts its own Production Innovation Centre. "As well as having its own core team which is continually seeking to develop new options for us we work very closely with our customers and suppliers to identify new opportunities for product development and innovation. Sometimes a slight modification is all that's required. Other times, for example, with McCains, we successfully delivered an entire new range of microwaveable garlic baguettes from brief to final product within just ten weeks," says Downey.

While acknowledging EVRON as a 'small company' operating in a highly competitive niche sector Downey insists his company's success is reflective of an enterprise culture that prevails across many of the province's big processors.

"You only have to look at companies like Irwins, Moy Park and Tayto who recently acquired Golden Wonder, for proof the spirit of enterprise and innovation is very strong within Northern Ireland food processors. I would say Northern Ireland is as vibrant and strong as any other region in Europe when it comes to pushing the twin boundaries of innovation and enterprise. Maybe that's down to our history here and the fact businesses like ours have had to be hungrier and more aggressive?"

Downey identifies Italy and USA as two global pioneers of innovation within the speciality bread sector. "I suppose every country has different strengths, but I'm a great fan of both Italy and the States in terms of how influential they been with regard to developing new flavours of speciality bread." However, while complimentary of their innovatory approach he believes the UK as a whole is a world leader when it comes to food processing standards - something he puts down to the exacting demands of the nation's retail multiples.

"While some might be critical of the multiples I would have to say they have been responsible for driving up standards right across the board. Having travelled extensively across facilities similar to ours it's clear we operate to quality levels that are definitely amongst the best in the world." Indeed EVRON's ongoing commitment to quality is reflected in the fact it operates to British Retail Consortium (Higher Level) accreditation for its Portadown location, an independent quality marque for which EVRON's new EASIBAKE FOODS plant in Wales will be applying as soon as possible. In addition the company holds the distinction of being the first bakery in Ireland to achieve Investors in People status.

EVRON has changed dramatically since it first opened its doors for business and signed up its first orders to supply Green's Food Fayre in Lisburn and a Cork-based Supervalu store.

"There have been massive changes from those early days - both in terms of the customers and products we supply and the market in which we operate. It has taken a long time to get to the size we are today, but essentially we're still a small company looking al the time at growth opportunities.

"One of the big drivers in making the decision to open our EASIBAKE Wales manufacturing facility in Wales was to capitalise on the GB market's chilled foods sector which currently accounts for around 50% of the company's turnover with Northern Ireland accounting for 11%, the Republic 28% and Europe 11%."

With customers expecting 24hr lead-in times and six day delivery setting up a location offering access to southern England and Europe represents a logical next step in the development of the company. EVRON seems destined to get an ever greater slice of the speciality bread market in Ireland, UK and beyond.

EASIBAKE WALES CELEBRATES BRC ACCEDITATION

EASIBAKE WALES, owned by Portadown-based EVRON Foods, is celebrating a major success by achieving BRC (Higher Level) accreditation. The standard is recognised by the majority of UK supermarket retailers and is being increasingly used by food service companies to approve suppliers.

The accreditation is amongst the major milestones for the GB arm of the Irish-owned speciality bread company which prides itself in innovation and was responsible for bringing garlic bread to Northern Ireland more than 20 years ago. The company also holds the distinction of being the first bakery in Ireland to achieve Investors in People status in 2001.

As Marketing Director, Dominic Downey explains EASIBAKE's new Pontypool 36,000 sq ft facility has been built to grow the Portadown company's increasing presence in Britain and Europe.

"Strategically we felt if we are to grow our business we needed to be operating across at least two locations. Obviously EASIBAKE WALES will not only provide important back-up for our core customers but will also ensure we can distribute across Britain more efficiently.

"Furthermore the additional capacity places us in a strong position to play to our strengths in collaboratively developing value-added products with new and existing customers thereby growing our penetration across the frozen and chilled speciality breads and bakery goods' markets. Pontypool is an ideal location because it offers us easy access to southern England and European markets as well as being served by excellent road links and offering a ready supply of skilled labour."

EASIBAKE WALES' new facility has two automated French bread lines each capable of producing part-baked French breads from 40g to 460g in size.

Dominic Downey claims the achievement of BRC status is an important early success as the business seeks to gain a stronger foothold in the GB market.

"While the standard was initially designed for manufacturers supplying own label products it has also been used as a basis of supplier appoval. There are now certified companies in many countries in the EU and as far away as Canada, Brazil and Thailand. BRC is now an industry-recognised' system of best practice on how to operate a food business.

"EASIBAKE prides itself on its focus on qualty and innovation and this is a strong endorsement of the integrity of our processes and the emphasis we place on quality here," says Mr Downey.