Processed vegetable company Mash Direct plans to invest GBP10m to increase capacity and develop new product lines as part of a “green” expansion project in Northern Ireland, reports the Irish Times.

The six generation family business has agreed to the above “funding package” with the HSBC UK bank and intends to use the new finance to invest in environmentally-friendly machinery at its on-farm production facility in Comber, says the source.

Chief Operating Officer of Mash Direct Jack Hamilton explained that thanks to the growing demand for the company’s products, which includes 40 processed potato and vegetable, the family business sees good opportunities for further growth.

Mash Direct supplies a number of major supermarket groups through UK and Ireland, including Tesco, Dunnes, Sainsbury’s, Aldi and Lidl. It also exports to the US, according to the report.

Hamilton added that the family business is keen to become more sustainable in the future by improving their carbon footprint through investing in new technology.

For example, the firm plans to install solar and win energy machinery and to develop a wastewater treatment facility in Down. It  is also planning to invest in robotics and enterprise management software.