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*Northern Ireland-based contract bottler, Norbev, has won a contract from Elbar Services, the Derby-based food distributor, to supply a range of drinks to the UK operations of Makro, the leading cash and carry chain, in a deal worth around £1.5m. *

Elbar is a major supplier of products to Makro depots.

Norbev, based in Ballymena, secured its first contract from Elbar following a meeting organised by Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s business development agency.

The contract for the supply of still and sparkling water under Makro’s established Rioba brand was announced by Damian McCarthy, Norbev’s Commercial Director.

In addition, Norbev is developing a range of fruit juices for Makro as part of the Elbar agreement. The products will be sold through Makro’s 300-strong UK network of depots. Elbar is also discussing an opportunity to supply a range of mixers for the European cash and carry client.

McCarthy described the Elbar contract as “very significant business” for the company, which has been in bottling since 1919 and now operates from a plant that opened in April 2004, in Ballymena, County Antrim.

Mr McCarthy said: “We were delighted to be given the opportunity by Elbar to bid for the contract to develop a wide range of new products for such a prestigious client as Makro. It’s a tremendous endorsement of our experience in contract bottling for major clients, and also of the high quality of services that we provide across the UK.

“Our strategic focus is on building close partnerships with clients that enable us to provide products that meet their individual requirements.

“Extensive capital investment in plant and equipment enables us to produce about 100 million bottles of water, minerals and juices annually. We now have one of the most modern bottling operations in the UK and our vast experience in logistics means we can provide the consistently high quality that clients require. We can distribute these efficiently throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland,” he added.