Kepak was founded by Noel Keating in 1981. The origins of the company were laid well before this when he established his first butcher shop in the Liberties in Dublin. The business initially developed by retailing meat to the public, then progressed to providing larger contracts to hospitals and schools and eventually included wholesaling to other butchers. The business grew rapidly and Kepak was established and moved to a purpose built site in Clonee, Co. Meath in 1981.
The attention to detail applied in the formative years has contributed to the successful growth of the company over the past three decades. In fact the original philosophy of the founder - 'providing quality products at competitive prices' - still holds true today.
Kepak operated as a single plant company until Goldstar Meats , now incorporated into Kepak Convenience Foods division (KCF), became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1985. This division was developed as a specialist beef burger supplier for both the retail and foodservice sectors. KCF has developed significant links with the major Irish and UK retailers. Innovation has always been at the core of their approach and they capitalised on the emerging demand for fast food by being the first company to introduce the ¼ Pounder Beef Burger to the Irish market.
In 1986, Kepak purchased a lamb slaughter and boning facility in Hacketstown, Co. Carlow. This was a key strategic move to capitalise on the expanding sheep flock in Ireland and the forecasted increase in export sales. Another plant in Athleague, Co. Roscommon was acquired the following year. Both plants have been redeveloped resulting in significant increases in throughput and efficiency. Together, they now account for over 30% of all lambs processed in Ireland annually.
The Athleague facility was extended in 1990 to incorporate a purpose built beef abattoir, allowing direct access to cattle supplies in the West of Ireland. The resulting success led directly to the purchase of a beef boning plant in Ballymahon, Co.Longford in 1992. This provided the opportunity of supplying the U.K. retail trade directly and the plant was used as a specialist processing facility for retail customers.
Expansion to the U.K. began in 1995 with the acquisition of the British Beef Company. The purchase included an integrated beef and lamb business including slaughter, boning and retail packing and gave Kepak a strong presence in the market. This was further solidified when Buchan Meats, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland was acquired in 1996.
Agra Trading Ltd. and its subsidiary Agra Meat Packers Ltd were significant acquisitions in 1997. With Agra under its umbrella, Kepak reputation and goodwill gained from trading in international markets and opened up many opportunities for the future.
In the same year, KCF invested in new cooking technology that allowed it to supply fully cooked microwaveable burgers to retail and foodservice customers. Along with this, they developed both frozen and chilled ranges of savoury snack products under the Big Al's and Rustlers brands.
Kepak Group has recently invested in retail packing facilities in both Ireland and the U.K. and a state of the art retail packing facility was built on the Preston site in 1999. This allows the provision of a completely integrated service from 'farm to plate' and has led to substantial growth in business with key customers.
Due to a Group policy of continuous investment, Kepak's processing facilities are among the most modern and efficient in Europe and ensure the company is well placed to meet any challenges ahead. Sales and Marketing offices throughout Europe and an Operations office in South America have been established to provide a direct presence in target markets. This allows for faster response to the changing needs and requirements of all customers and positions the Group to continue being one of the leading meat processing companies in Europe.
