Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney T.D. visiting Baileys’ Nangor Rd production facility

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney T.D. visited the Baileys production facility on the Nangor Rd to mark the brands 40th birthday and to announce a €600K partnership between Baileys and Enterprise Ireland.

Baileys is the number one selling cream liqueur in the world and a major contributor to Ireland’s rural economy. The company, set up in 1974, uses over 250 million litres of fresh Irish milk annually and some 82 million bottles of Baileys are sold worldwide each year to 180 countries around the world.

The 600k partnership with Enterprise Ireland will bring the Nangor Rd site, where Baileys is produced and bottled, onto the next level of efficiencies. This includes upskilling of employees and the site itself, to increase the sustainability of the brand. The partnership will also enhance the R&D element of this export driven brand with the ultimate objective being to increase the business and therefore grow the rural economy.

“Since Baileys went into production in 1974 it has become a brand that is synonymous with Ireland and with Ireland’s rich agricultural heritage. It is now the sixth bestselling duty free brand globally with strong sales in China, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean” said Minister Coveney.

“Key to this success is the combination of both tradition and innovation. Using Irish milk sourced from 40,000 dairy cows Baileys has developed a brand that continues to appeal to people all over the world. The partnership with Enterprise Ireland will ensure that the plant, which already is the largest buyer of milk in Ireland aside from co-ops, can invest further in Ireland’s dairy economy bringing further benefits to this important sector.”

Baileys is produced and bottled exclusively at the Nangor Rd. site since 1987. At the time of its launch, Baileys was considered a hugely innovative and radical products and it went on to inspire an entire drinks category for cream liqueurs. However Baileys alone remains the single most successful spirit to be introduced in the past 40 years.

Colin O’ Brien, Managing Director of Baileys and Head of Supply with Diageo said “Baileys has always been an innovative product. Back in 1974 it set itself apart in a market that was dominated by whiskey and stout, today it is a market leader because we bring together the very best of dairy and distilling while continually exploring new tastes, our marketing approach, production, supply pricing and innovation strategies. Our partnership with Enterprise Ireland will ensure that we can continue to be a number one Irish brand that has appeal right across the world.”