User:MercersCottage/sandbox

Mash Direct Mash Direct is a family owned farming and food production enterprise based in Comber, Northern Ireland. The company prepares convenient vegetable and potato dishes ranging from traditional accompaniments to complete ready-meals. The range is steam cooked and packaged on the family farm using bespoke machinery to create the taste and texture of homemade food.

Top 6 in the top food producers from Northern Ireland in 2014.

Mash Direct has just celebrated its tenth anniversary. From the initial dream of making traditional ‘Ulster’ champ for convenience, the Hamilton family have grown Mash Direct into a £12million turnover company, employing 150 members of staff and supplying a range of over 40 high quality, chilled, quick-serve vegetable dishes to retail, food service and the food manufacturing sector. Rather than rely on any one part of the food industry, the company has chosen to spread risk by developing a 'portfolio' of three main sectors: retail, food service and food manufacturing. The latter started in 2008 and has grown to a turnover of £2.4million while food service has grown to over £1million in 2 years. Despite the gloomy economic climate, overall growth continues at a rate of 20+% on average per year and in the last six years the business has grown by over 400%.

In the last 12 months alone the company has expanded again, building a new 25,000 square foot manufacturing facility on the farm, increasing the team by over 20 people and achieving major new listings including Asda in England and Carrefour in Dubai.