Supermarket chain Aldi has announced a new €9.5m deal with the Donegal-based drinks producer Mulrines.
The new 12-month contract will see Mulrines increase the volume of juice product it supplies to Aldi by almost 25%.
Mulrines said it will now supply Aldi with over 11.5 million litres of its Irish-produced fruit juices and smoothies each year - this is equivalent to five Olympic swimming pools full of product.
First established in 1919, Mulrines currently employs 160 people in Ballybofey, Co Donegal and its two orchards in Porterstown and Rathbane in Co Kildare.
The new contract will see the company make new products for Aldi in the coming months.
The company also said that Aldi's Specially Selected Kildare Apple Juice, made from a blend of apples grown in Mulrines' orchard in Co Kildare, will be moving to new bottles made with recycled plastic later this year.
This means that over 12 tonnes of virgin plastic will be removed from Aldi's stores annually and makes Aldi the first retailer in Ireland to introduce recycled PET into the chilled juice range.
Peter Mulrine, Managing Director of Mulrines, said that working with Aldi since 2002 has been essential for the business to grow and expand.
Aldi currently stocks over 1,800 products and works with over 330 Irish suppliers across the country.
