Waterford food company Dunhill Cuisine has secured a major supply contract to partner with George Best Belfast City Airport through Autogrill Group, the world’s biggest provider of food & beverage and retail services for travellers.

Under the terms of the deal, the innovative meal solutions manufacturer has rolled out supply to the various bars and restaurants that make up the Airport facilities. Phase 1 of a £6 million terminal enhancement at the airport has just has been completed and is now capable of handling 12,000 passengers per day.

Edward Spelman, managing director of Dunhill, valued the deal at €1 million over three years. He said the company had already created ten new jobs on the back of recent contract wins, increasing its staff numbers from thirty to forty.

‘‘We have significantly expanded our presence in both the foodservice and retail sectors in the last six months and would hope to continue to expand in 2010,” Spelman said.

‘‘We find our innovative range of high-quality menu solutions offer consistency and reliability, as well as dramatic labour savings benefits to our partners and their clients.”

Clients for the company’s range of chilled food products are split evenly between the retail and catering trades. Customers include Musgrave Group, Superquinn, Dunnes Stores, Kylemore Group, Barry Group.

‘‘We have a wide variety of products – including sauces, soups and main meals and are focussed on bespoke new menu development with our individual clients”.

“Foodservice clients find that employees who eat more healthily, have better choices are happier people who work more effectively. And that’s got to be good,” Spelman said.

ENDS