Baileys Irish Cream is set to undergo a $33 million (£26 million) expansion, according to the Irish News. The expansion is set to increase the size of County Antrim’s Mallusk site in Northern Ireland by approximately 80,000 square feet, and aims to improve logistics and warehouse facilities in order to keep up with global demand.
The Mallusk site is one of just two facilities where the cream liqueur is made. The brand, which launched in 1974, currently produces over 60 million bottles of its cream liqueur annually. The new expansion was originally introduced back in 2022, though the County Antrim city council signed off on the plans just last week. The single story extension will include an increased warehouse capacity, new staff facilities, solar energy and associated external plant equipment, an increase in staff parking, electric vehicle charging points, trailer bays, improved site access, external lighting columns, and landscaping.
Diageo, Baileys’ parent company, currently employs 300 people at the County Antrim Mallusk facility. The expansion, scheduled to take place over the next several years, will generate 100 construction temporary jobs in addition to 30 to 35 permanent positions at the plant. Further, the project will help stimulate the local economy and create a number of various jobs across supply chain distribution, both local and international.
“This £26m investment by Diageo further bolsters the borough’s reputation as a prime location for business,” says Mark Cooper, mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey councillor to The Drinks Business. “Diageo have been successfully operating at Mallusk for over 20 years and this additional investment indicates their commitment to the growth and development of manufacturing skills in the area.”
Further highlighted in the expansion plans are Diageo’s commitments to sustainability, which aspire to reach full net-zero carbon emissions at the Mallusk site over the next seven years.
“Baileys makes a considerable contribution to the local economy in Northern Ireland, and over 97 percent of our output is shipped around the world,” Lesley Allen, operations manager at the Mallusk facilities, told the Irish News. “We are confident the planned extension will support Diageo’s wider growth strategy, building on the £40 million [$51 million] investment we made in opening the site in 2003 and the ongoing investments to further develop the facility and the Baileys brand.”
