Official Opening of Food Distribution Hub in Athy Enterprise Centre

Kildare County Council in the presence of the Cathaoirleach of the Athy Municipal District, Veralouise Behan, recently welcomed the opening of Bradbury’s “Irish School Meals” dedicated distribution hub in the Athy Enterprise Centre.

The newly created hub, based in the Athy Enterprise Centre, has been created and fitted out to food-grade standard by the dedicated team at Bradburys.  

Each day, over 6,000 hot meals are prepared and delivered to Kildare-based schools from the hub, with all used packaging returned and recycled in line with circular economy principles.  Technology and innovation are at the heart of the operation, which supports a number of local jobs and will create further jobs in the coming months as the business expands.  Bradburys, a local Athy-based family business which has been in operation for 86 years, is delighted to have been supported by Kildare County Council in continuing to contribute to the local economy by maintaining their base in the Athy area.

The hub is a startup and scaling hub for businesses involved in light industrial, manufacturing and related industries.  The Centre is now managed by Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise & Economic Development team and aims to support businesses in the town in these key industries with the ultimate goal of sustaining and supporting local employment.

Speaking in Athy, Head of Local Enterprise & Economic Development, Jacqui McNabb said: “We in Kildare County Council are delighted to be able to support the expansion of Bradburys in the Athy Enterprise Centre.  Clearly, one of the most important ways businesses like Bradburys benefit the community is by creating job growth and providing locals with job opportunities – an overall positive in terms of a healthy economy and a happy community.”

“This family-owned business are to be commended for this investment; they have shown amazing innovation to stay relevant to market demands.  Entrepreneurs such as Bradburys build confidence in communities and encourage more innovation and growth within Athy.  This investment in the state-of-the-art Hub also leads to well-served and satisfied customers.”

Cathaoirleach of the Athy Municipal District, Councillor Veralouise Behan said; “As Caothaoirleach of Athy Municipal District it was my absolute honour to attend the official opening of Bradburys expansion of their school meals division.”

“Bradburys are a hard-working family who have been providing food and employment in Athy for over 80 years.  It is a remarkable testament to them and their staff to see a business move and grow through the generations in Athy.  Bradburys source their quality ingredients locally and are mindful of supporting the local economy at every turn.”

“We are lucky that they have been able to keep their investment in their business local. My hope is that Kildare County Council can continue to grow its local support, in step with companies such as Bradburys who continue to grow and serve the locality.”

“My very best wishes to the Bradbury family, to Jill, and her team. May your business continue to expand and grow.”

Director of Bradburys, Jill Bradbury added: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Kildare County Council’s Local Enterprise and Economic Development Department, alongside Athy Municipal District.”

“We would have found it impossible to expand in Athy without the help of Jacqui McNabb and her staff. We would also like to thank Aoife Breslin, Mark Wall and Brian Dooley for helping us to get the ball rolling.”

“We are so thrilled to have been able to keep the business in the town.  Without their help and support we would have had to go out of the town to expand as there are no suitable commercial spaces available in the town or surrounding areas.”

“We are now employing 100 people locally.  We are grateful to have fantastic staff and we would like to thank everyone for their hard work and support.  We are also very grateful for the local school’s support and custom.  It is all integral to supporting local community and businesses. “

“We are proud to say our three major suppliers are all family owned and managed. As an Athy family-based company along with all our staff, we want to stay in the town.

We are working to expand again next year, hopefully we will find the space!”