Drinks group Britvic says its Irish division made operating profits of £4.3m (€5.4m) for the six months to April 13.
Britvic bought the Irish soft drinks businesses, including Ballygowan, from C&C last year. Total Irish sales were £99.5m (€125m). The company, which employs 900 people in Ireland, announced earlier this year that it was closing its plant at Little Island, just outside Cork city.
Overall sales across the Britvic group were 28.6% higher at £454.7m, while pre-tax profits rose by 13% to £17.2m.
Chief executive Paul Moody said the performance was 'resilient' against a background of tough conditions in the pub sector, adding that the drinks market was still recovering from the effects of last year's poor summer.
