Rosie & Jim, the award-winning breaded chicken brand, has broken ground on a major, multi-million Euro expansion project at its factory in Dublin 12, to create an innovative new facility which will increase the footprint by 70%, tripling production capacity and allowing the company to meet growing demand in both its domestic and export markets.
The family business, founded by Jimmy and Rosie McLoughlin in 1997, has gone from strength to strength, building a solid network of foodservice and retail clients in Ireland, aided in no small part by the ‘game-changing’ decision to move to gluten free products in 2015, as well as the brand’s unwavering commitment to superior taste and premium quality.
In recent years Rosie & Jim, which employs 70 people here in Ireland, has enjoyed significant growth in the UK, through a relationship with market leaders such as Costco Wholesale, and in Germany with leading retailer Kaufland. Increased consumer demand for high-quality, clean-label products in the Irish and export markets has created a clear opportunity for growth, leading to the company’s decision to invest in production capacity and to also further develop the sales and marketing function, with additional in-field sales teams in the brand’s export markets.
Speaking about the investment, Managing Director at Rosie & Jim, Jimmy McLoughlin commented:
“Rosie and I started this business 27 years ago, when I was just 27 years old, we’ve learned a huge amount in that time and are delighted to be looking to the future with such optimism and a clear strategy for growth. The Irish market continues to be hugely important to us, not least of which is our relationship with butcher shops nationwide serviced through our network of regional distributors, which has been the backbone of our business since the beginning. Foodservice in Ireland is also a significant growth area, as the key players see the benefits our brand has to offer, including reduced Food Miles when compared to breaded chicken imports from South-East Asia, Brazil and China, which are commonplace in foodservice. “
Manufacturing and production efficiencies have been central to Rosie & Jim’s impressive growth trajectory. Recognised and supported by Enterprise Ireland since 2015 when they funded the first factory expansion, Rosie & Jim have also fully embraced the principles of Lean manufacturing, which has been transformative in terms of operational efficiencies. Upon completion by 2027, the new factory will feature the most innovative production processes, warehousing, sustainable refrigeration systems, and solar energy generation and will take the workforce to over 100-strong.
Rosie & Jim also recently added to its impressive awards cabinet at the prestigious FreeFrom Food Awards, scooping the ‘2024 FreeFrom Champion’ and 3 Gold Medals and 1 Silver Medal. The brand was also recognised last month at the Family Business Awards, were Sean McLoughlin, Operations Manager at Rosie & Jim, received silver in the Rising Star Award.
With the Irish “out of home” sector projected to grow nearly 5% to €9.8 billion in 2025, labour-saving solutions are increasingly sought after by foodservice operators. Rosie & Jim offer versatile gluten-free breaded chicken products that align with these needs
Our products have seen significant success within the hotel and restaurant sectors, where one item can be utilized across all dayparts—unlocking opportunities for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, and Sharing Boards.
As we continue to grow this side of our business, our products are already featured with some recognizable names in the foodservice sector, including Sysco, Musgraves, Hendersons, Lynas, and BWG. We also collaborate with wholesale distributors such as DC Foods, Buggy Foods, and Europa Foods, to mention but a few.
For a complete list of our network, feel free to reach out to us at info@rosieandjim.ie.
Rosie McLoughlin, Brand Manager at Rosie & Jim commented: “Having our products recognised for their superior taste and quality is what fuels our ambitions. We love that the Rosie & Jim range has switched any out-dated perception that ‘gluten-free’ would be a taste compromise. The winning combination of taste, quality and clean label credentials is certainly driving our growth and I’m excited to lead our marketing team in bringing even more consumers to the Rosie & Jim brand during this exciting period of expansion.”
Visit www.rosieandjim.ie and follow us @rosieandjimchicken
