A flagship food development project in the heart of one of Ireland’s richest farmland areas has been unveiled this week with the official launch of the Boyne Valley Food Hub in Navan.

The new food hub, located in the Meath Enterprise Centre in Navan, was officially opened on Friday by Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment Neale Richmond, who said the project will enable the development of sustainable and profitable food businesses in the region and will support local entrepreneurs and start-ups, as well as existing businesses.

“A core strategy of the Mid-East Regional Enterprise Plan is the development of agri food hubs,” he said, adding that the provision of almost €1.9m to this project “underlines the Government’s commitment to developing clusters and collaboration in the regions that will boost economic growth and employment”.

Industrial space

Conceived and operated by Meath Enterprise, it consists of almost 800 square metres of light industrial space, which has been transformed into nine commercial food-grade incubation units, as well as a food research and development lab and a sensory testing training facility.

Also opened in the Navan centre on Friday was a new co-working hub to support food startups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).

The Meath Enterprise Centre is already home to Complex Nutrition, a leading contract food manufacturer, and the ambition of Meath Enterprise is that the Navan centre will become the fulcrum of its ambitious Boyne Valley food innovation district (BVFID), which aims to create a food cluster that will aid food start-ups and SMEs to grow and ultimately plug into global market opportunities.

Divisional manager of regions and local enterprise with Enterprise Ireland Carol Gibbons said: “Enterprise Ireland has been proud to support the Boyne Valley Food Hub and it’s great to see the formal opening of this innovative flagship project today.

"Meath and the mid-east region has a long tradition of excellence in food production and this new facility will ensure that the next generation of food entrepreneurs can produce the sustainable, quality products that will drive Ireland’s capacity to building world-class food brands and compete and win in global markets.”