Valeo Foods is pushing for a big expansion of its Odlums flour business after an investment of more than €1 million in its mill in Portarlington, Co Laois. The investment comes as Valeo seeks to modernise the Odlums brand and increase its share of the home-baking market, which has an estimated annual value of €124 million.

The redevelopment of the Portarlington plant underpins Valeo’s efforts to build an export market for Odlums, whose owl logo has been a fixture of the product for decades. It also hopes to leverage the supply chain capabilities of Valeo’s newly integrated European brands, Balconi in Italy and Rowse honey in Britain.

“We are now in the next phase of growth for the iconic Odlums brand and are excited about the export opportunity that exists,” said Valeo chief commercial officer Oliver Sutherland. “Through our continued focus on innovation and new product development, we look forward to growing the brand in Ireland and abroad.”

The Odlum family first established a mill in Portarlington in 1845. The upgrade of the production line in the present facility, Ireland’s last commercial mill, was undertaken to increase flexibility across a broader range of products.

The Odlums brand is one of several indigenous food labels owned by Valeo. Others include Jacobs biscuits, Bachelors, Erin, Shamrock and Chef. Other company brands include Robert Roberts, Kelkin and Roma.

The Odlums investment is part of a €10 million programme to boost the group’s production facilities. As part of this initiative, Valeo introduced more than 20 new products including organic, spelt, gluten free and bake-your-own ranges. Valeo has also opened of an in-house R&D unit, to supporting the development of new Odlums products, The Portarlington mill, which employs 35 people, currently produces more than 120 products.