Dawn Farm Foods win €700 million contract to supply Subway Stores to 2017

Dawn Farm Foods in Ireland and EIPC, the purchasing arm of the Subway sandwich chain, today Wednesday 17 February, announced a €700 million, seven year contract to supply the Subway franchise in Europe.

Founded in America in 1965 by entrepreneur Fred DeLuca, there are now over 32,000 Subway stores in 90 countries worldwide.  Consistently ranked as the number 1 global franchise, the European market is of growing importance to the Subway chain which currently operates 1,485 stores in Britain and Ireland and a further 1,400 stores in continental Europe.  Subway has a growth strategy in place for a significant expansion of stores over the next seven years in Europe and this contract positions Dawn Farms as a key supplier to service this market.

Established in 1985 Dawn Farm Foods, based in the town of Naas in Co. Kildare in the Republic of Ireland, is Europe’s leading supplier of cooked and fermented meats to International Foodservice chains and leading Food Manufacturers. Dawn Farms has supplied the Subway chain since its first European store opened to the public back in 1993.

Welcoming the announcement, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Coughlan, TD said: ‘I am delighted to welcome the announcement of this major contract between Dawn Farm Foods and Subway.  This is a highly significant development and the Government, through Enterprise Ireland, is delighted to support Dawn Farms in its development plans.  It is an endorsement of Dawn Farm’s continued success in growing its export business in the food service area with a world-leading company such as Subway.  It demonstrates very clearly that innovative and market-led Irish food companies like Dawn Farms are held in very high international regard and can successfully expand the global reach of the Irish food sector.” 

Minister for Agriculture Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, also welcomed the announcement stressing the importance of the food sector in Ireland as a leading contributor to export growth and job creation. "Innovative, export-orientated food companies, such as Dawn Farms, have a crucial role to play in our economic recovery" said Minister Smith. "Dawn Farm's success in winning this large and prestigious contract underlines the continued importance of our agri-food sector as a competitive player on international markets with potential to grow further in the years ahead."

Commenting on the deal Mike Attwood, Purchasing Director of EIPC stated;  ‘We know Dawn Farms well and we have worked closely together to come up with a deal that makes sense for our franchisees and gives certainty to the supply side of our business as we continue our drive for growth across Europe.’

Commenting on the new contract Larry Murrin Chief executive of Dawn Farms said, ‘This is a significant deal for Dawn Farms and follows major investment in our manufacturing base in Ireland, supported by Enterprise Ireland.  Subway has ambitious growth plans for store openings across Europe and with hard work on both sides this deal will translate into hundreds of millions of euro in export sales for Ireland over the duration of the seven year contract.’

Welcoming the announcement, Derek Breen, Head of Meat Division at Enterprise Ireland said: ‘Enterprise Ireland has worked closely with Dawn Farms in supporting its strategic investment programme to drive continued international growth.  This project underpins both the Government and Enterprise Ireland’s strategy for the food sector - building innovation in export focused companies capable of achieving significant global reach.  The company is an excellent example of what Irish companies can achieve in a highly competitive international market, and we in Enterprise Ireland look forward to working with them in the future.’

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