Seafood company lands €30m deal

A West Cork company has earned a supply deal worth more than €30 million with a major supermarket, it was announced this week.

Lidl Ireland revealed an expanded deal with long-standing supplier Keohane Seafoods which will see the seafood company increase its supply of fresh, frozen and new range of ready-to-eat products across the retailer’s 184 stores throughout Ireland and export its premium fresh Irish seafood to Lidl stores across Europe, including Germany, France, Switzerland and the Canary Islands.

Founded in 2010 by Michael Keohane and his two sons, Colman and Brian, who hail from West Cork, Keohane Seafoods secured its first contract with Lidl Ireland in 2011, supplying just two salmon darnes, alongside cod and mackerel products.

Lidl awarded Keohane Seafoods with its first major contract worth €20 million in 2022. The seafood business has grown to become Ireland’s largest quality seafood processor, now employing 285 people across its sites, with 200 staff in Bantry and 85 in Cork.

The company has a strong focus on sustainability and collaborated with Lidl Ireland in 2022 to use prevented ocean plastic (Pop) packaging across several product lines, preventing almost 19 tonnes of plastic from entering the ocean per year – the equivalent of almost 750,000 plastic water bottles.

In the past number of years, Keohane’s has invested heavily in innovation including the opening of its new Ready to Eat facility last year in Bantry which has opened up opportunities for new product lines to better meet the needs of Lidl shoppers. As part of the new range, Keohane’s now supplies Lidl Ireland with Jumbo King prawns, Organic Hot Smoked Salmon and some seasonal Cold Smoked Salmon items.

Colman Keohane, Managing Director of Keohane Seafoods, emphasised the importance of the collaboration: “Our partnership with Lidl has been one of the main ingredients to our success. Lidl has been an essential partner for our growth and their continued belief and investment has given us the unique opportunity to showcase our products to Lidl customers both locally and internationally.

“Our longstanding contract with Lidl has not only fuelled the company’s growth but also created valuable employment opportunities within the Cork community.”

He added: “We are committed to delivering products of the highest quality, with sustainability at the heart of everything we do. With Lidl’s ongoing support, we have been able to innovate, introduce new products and adapt our operations all while minimising our environmental impact,” said Mr

Keohane.

Commenting on the new deal, Emma Nolan, Senior Buyer at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “Over the course of our partnership, Keohane Seafoods has significantly scaled their business, creating valuable employment opportunities within the local community.

“Their unwavering commitment to product development, innovation, and sustainability perfectly aligns with our own business

ethos.”

Since 2017, Lidl Ireland has invested more than €37 million in its Kickstart Supplier Development Programme, supporting nearly 300 small and medium-sized Irish food and drink suppliers get their products into Lidl stores nationwide.