Seamus O’Hara, CEO of Carlow Brewing Company

Carlow Brewing Company, also known as O’Hara’s Brewery plans to expand its business by creating 12 new jobs at its headquarters in Carlow to bring its total employee count to over 50.

The company positions are being created due to continued growth of the business, as well as the increasing popularity of Irish craft beer.

The 12 permanent vacancies will be filled within three months. The company said creating the new jobs and a continued plant expansion to increase its brewing and packaging capacity will involve an investment of more than €1m.

Carlow Brewing Company is supported in job expansion by Enterprise Ireland.

Set up in 1996, the company produces a range of craft beers for the domestic and export markets, including the O’Hara’s Irish Craft Beer brand, which includes stouts, wheat beers, ales and lagers, and the Falling Apple craft cider brand.

“We are always on the lookout for fresh talent, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to further strengthen our team across the board, and bring new life, vibrancy and ideas to our organisation,” said CEO Seamus O’Hara.

“Today’s announcement is testament to the fact that if you support local breweries you will also in turn create local jobs. We are currently looking to add more space to our operations and in time this will facilitate further expansion and lead to additional jobs.

“Small, local breweries have been a success story in Ireland during recent years, and with craft beer accounting for only 1.5pc of the overall beer market, we are confident there is plenty of room for growth. With the creation of these new jobs, we are supporting our existing customers, but also actively seeking new ones, and as a business we feel we are just at the beginning of what is an upward trajectory.”