Velo Coffee Roasters has opened its new coffee roasting warehouse in Cork, with Olympic silver medallist Gary O’Donovan on hand to perform the honours.

The new facility has added three full-time jobs to Velo’s payroll, with two work placements created on the Cope Foundation’s ‘Ability@Work’ project.

The expansion results from the company's success in Aldi’s ‘Grow With Aldi’ scheme, with Velo selected as a preferred supplier last January .

At the time, founder Ron Horgan said: “We’ve gone straight from kilogram to pallet order since our Aldi launch. The volume was daunting initially, but when you break it down it’s very achievable.

“Before the Aldi contract we couldn’t guarantee full-time work, as orders were erratic. On the coffee bean side, we can forward contract coffee, which provides us with the assurance we need to maintain a consistent quality product.”

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It also helps that Aldi pays Irish suppliers who transact under €300,000 annually within 14 days, he added.

The business started as a spinoff from a bicycle-themed café, roasting 12-kilo small batches of roaster-selected beans and packing by hand.

Aldi buying director John Curtin added: “Our programme supports producers getting their products on our shelves and to give our customers access to the best quality new products from across the country.”

The next round of winners will be announced at the National Ploughing Championships in September.

Photo: Gary O’Donovan and Rob Horgan. (Pix: Clare Keogh)