IRISH Yogurts is planning to expand its factory in Clonakilty. The family-run company has applied to Cork County Council to add an extension to the western side of its premises at The Miles.

BY DAVID FORSYTHE

A number of existing structures would be cleared to make way for it, including containers, an access stairwell, a waste room and a derelict building.

The access road would also be moved around the new extension.

The planning documents describe the project simply as an extension to the existing factory and do not say how the extra space would be used.

As part of the same application, Irish Yogurts is seeking retention permission for portable cabins beside the eastern side of the factory and an existing extension to a service building. Plans submitted to the council say measures would be taken to limit dust, noise and pollution while the building work is under way.

Irish Yogurts Clonakilty was founded in March 1994. The business began with one employee and had grown to a workforce of 225 by the time it celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2024.

Its yogurts, kefir and crème fraîche are now sold throughout Ireland and in the UK. The company’s Half Fat Crème Fraîche received a three-star Great Taste award in 2023 and was later nominated for a Golden Fork after finishing among the competition’s highest-rated products.

The deadline for submissions on the application is August 12th. Cork County Council planners are due to make a decision by September 1st.