New bakery owners Andrew McElhinney and Mark Kelly
THIRTY JOBS have been secured at a County Donegal bakery, one of the county’s leading insolvency practictioners announced today.
O’Donnell’s award-winning bakery in Laghey went into liquidation in January with fears over jobs.
However a former employee of the old company Mark Kelly and bread agent Andrew McElhinney have come together to buy the business.
The announcement secures 15 full and part-time positions at the bakery and 15 bread agents in the county.
Patrick McDermott, the Letterkenny-based accountant who specialises in insolvency work and business recovery, said he was delighted that O’Donnells Bakery had been saved.
“It shows that with will and determination, positive outcomes can be achieved in many of these cases,” said Mr McDermott.
“As an insolvency practictioner I always face various problems when a business is in trouble, and it is always preferable if a business can be sold on as a going concern.
“Thankfully that was the case in relation to O’Donnells.
“I want to wish Andrew and Mark well in their new venture. It is good news for Laghey and for the people of Donegal.”
Mark Kelly and Andrew McElhinney believe they have the right ingredients to make O’Donnell’s a successful business.
Mr McElhinney, a bread agent, said: “We are delighted to be the new owners of O’Donnells. It is a great bakery with a great deal of heritage and we will continue to use the fantastic family recipes handed down over the years.
“And of course we will continue to bake O’Donnells award-winning breads for customers both here in Donegal and elsewhere.”
Mr Kelly, a baker with O’Donnells before it went into liquidation added: “We are looking forward to the challenges ahead. It is a competitive market but I am confident that our breads speak for themselves. Once people taste the quality of O’Donnells range of products, they always come back for more.”
The move means the O’Donnell name will remain on a wide range of quality bread products.
O’Donnell’s Bakery, a family-owned enterprise, has been operating in South Donegal since 1969. In 2005, brothers Charlie and Eamonn took over the operation from their father and uncles and moved it from its original home in Ballyshannon to a purpose-built premises in Laghey.
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