I'm lovin' it: McDonald's boss hails firm's Ulster suppliers

by Clare Weir - 24/05/2011

"Two thousand farms in Northern Ireland are currently supplying beef to fast food giant McDonald's."

Brian Mullens, chief financial officer at the firm was in Northern Ireland recently to visit Balmoral Show and chat to suppliers and customers.

He has reiterated McDonald's commitment to local sourcing and said that consumers are becoming more and more aware of and interested in the ingredients of the food they eat.

"People are always interested to talk about the quality of the ingredients and where they are sourced from and we are happy to share that information and people are often surprised to find out just how local we go," he said.

"I think our message is and what more people need to understand is that we are not some giant faceless multi-national, but a company which offers great support for local agriculture and is a big local employer.

"Northern Ireland is about two or three percent of the overall UK supply chain and the UK supplies 10 percent of our beef worldwide.

"We are currently supplied by 2000 beef farms in Northern Ireland and the region is recognised as a great beef exporter.

"We also source 100m eggs a year, around £2.3m worth, however our eggs are supplied from Co Monaghan in the Republic.

"We also support a number of other non-food businesses in Northern Ireland and the Republic, including Delta Print in Belfast. Our investment in Northern Ireland suppliers alone represents about £100m annually."

The beef comes direct from farms, usually cuts from the forequarter and the flank, it is then taken to England where it is mixed, minced, shaped into burger patties and frozen before being taken back to Northern Ireland to be cooked and served.

Mr Mullens said that despite the long distance the meat travels and the obvious question of why the meat isn't prepared in Northern Ireland rather than England, it is still the most cost-effective plan for the business.

"The process of making and shaping the burgers is done in England for efficiency. We have four or five processing plants and we have found this process to be the most effective way we can do things."

Despite our heritage as a potato growing hot-spot, no Northern Ireland spuds end up as chips in McDonald's branches.

Seeds are grown in Scotland before being transferred to the north of England for planting and growing.

Restaurant wise, the company has spent £3m on 're-imaging' nine restaurants in Northern Ireland. There are 26 branches in Northern Ireland and by the end of 2011, Mr Mullens says that 80% of those will have benefited from a facelift.

The branches are run by a series of senior franchisees.

Mr Mullens has a background in finance and IT, and joined McDonald's in early 1997 as a business analyst.

In early 2008 Brian was promoted to senior vice president, chief financial officer, assuming responsibility supply chain, finance, franchising strategy, real estate and the re-imaging of restaurants.

More Details: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/business-news/im-lovin-it-mcdonalds-boss-hails-firms-ulster-suppliers-16003649.html