Dr Cross is the founder of Delta Print and Packaging, which was sold to Finnish giant Huhtamaki, and the owner of Hinch Distillery in Co Down.

Now his latest venture BioPax – based in a 70,000 sq ft factory at Springvale Business Park – will produce packaging and labels for the food service, retail, distribution and beverage sectors.

The venture will be led by sales and marketing director Liam O’Connor and general manager Greg Prescott.

Dr Cross said: “BioPax was born out of a passion to develop a truly green solution for today’s packaging needs.

‘We know that this will bring huge economic benefits to Northern Ireland’

“The company has invested significantly in research and development and the best green technology which along with our in-house expertise will enable collaborative solutions to be delivered to our customers.

“We are confident that the company understands the current market and the high growth potential.

“We know that this will bring huge economic benefits to Northern Ireland. It will help revolutionise consumer packaging solutions in the UK and Europe by promoting a circular economy in fibre packaging and reducing landfill waste and the release of harmful chemicals into our ecosystem.”

Economic development agency Invest NI is supporting BioPax to create the 169 jobs and has offered it advice and guidance on R&D and how to increase exports. Recruitment has begun, with 45 of the jobs already in place.

Interim chief executive Mel Chittock said: “This major investment will bring the former Caterpillar site back to life with a state-of-the-art factory and machinery. 169 jobs will be created in west Belfast across a range of functions including design, printing, production, sales and finance.”

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Following a record-breaking 14,205 food and drink entries from 110 countries across the world, Great Taste, the world’s largest food and drink accreditation scheme based entirely on taste, held its grand finale for 2022 earlier this week.

Announced at the Great Taste Golden Forks ceremony held at Southwark Cathedral, the Great Taste Golden Fork trophy for Northern Ireland was awarded to Baronscourt Estate from Tyrone for its Wild Sika Venison Loin, described as having “flavours of game and natural sweetness which balance beautifully and sing out” and “a rich red colour”.

The Wild Sika Venison Loin comes from wild sika deer that roam Northern Ireland’s Baronscourt Estate.

Impressing the Great Taste judges with its “bold aroma which was followed by bold flavour”, the Wild Sika Venison Loin made an impression at every stage of the blind-tasted judging process across the 90 days.

Rising to the top among hundreds of other entries from Northern Ireland, this “rich and tender” loin was celebrated as the best tasting product in its region at the highly anticipated ceremony – the culmination of Great Taste – the largest and most trusted food and drink accreditation scheme on the planet – dubbed the ‘Oscars’ of the food & drink world and attended by food industry experts and influencers.

John Farrand, managing director at the Guild of Fine Food comments: “Unveiling the Great Taste Golden Fork winners is a huge honour. After months of rigorous blind-tasting and judging, it is fantastic to reveal the award-winning products and celebrate the producers’ hard work and innovation.

It’s been an exceptional year for creativity and inspirational food and drink entries. Huge congratulations from all of us at GFF to all the award winners, it really isn’t easy to do what you do – I have the utmost admiration for you all. And thank you to everyone who was involved in Great Taste 2022.”

The Great Taste Golden Fork from Northern Ireland was sponsored by Invest NI. Also nominated this year were the Great Taste 3-star Corndale Chorizo Picante from Corndale Charcuterie based in Londonderry and The Single Rose, Ballylisk of Armagh Farmhouse Brie from Ballylisk Dairies based in Armagh.

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Moorcroft Foods has received around £100,000 from the economic development agency as part of the move, which will create 11 new jobs.

The company, started by South African businessman, Gavin Moorcroft, will manufacture and sell Biltong and Droewors dried meats from its new premises in Quarry Heights Industrial Park, Newtownards.

A senior director at Invest NI says the agency’s backing will help Moorcroft to maximize its ability to benefit from selling to both markets.

“This investment will create 11 jobs and will ensure the South African company is well placed to take advantage of opportunities in the ‘food to go and snacking’ markets in Great Britain, Republic of Ireland and Europe,” said Invest NI’s food and drink director Kevin Hood.

“It also aligns with our strategy of increasing FDI investment across Northern Ireland and is a great example for other companies looking to set up here.”

Founder Gavin Moorcroft, who has relocated to Northern Ireland with his family, said: “Our products will be made using traditional South African recipes and through research we have identified real growth opportunities for our products across the UK, Republic of Ireland and further afield.

“With Invest NI’s support and ongoing advice, we have invested in a range of equipment, which will help us to manufacture our quality product in Northern Ireland and share our world-class South African meat heritage throughout this part of the world.”

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Nine out of 10 firms in Northern Ireland have faced supply chain problems such as increased shipping costs since the end of the Brexit transition and the start of the NI Protocol, according to a new report.

Research published by the NI Chamber and economic development agency Invest NI also found that two in three have faced increased paperwork, while two out of five businesses had experienced HGV driver shortages.

Meanwhile, shipping container costs were higher for firms in Northern Ireland than others in the rest of the UK, with 84% of businesses in Northern Ireland dealing with increased costs.

Just under 90% were reporting increases in the time it takes to transport goods to or from overseas.

The Brexit: One Year On report also found that firms were fairly well-informed about the NI Protocol, which has effectively left Northern Ireland in the EU single market following Brexit and introduced a border in the Irish Sea.

Nearly all the 107 NI firms surveyed knew at least something about the Protocol, with half saying they knew it in detail. Just over 60% of firms were aware of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement between the UK and EU but very few knew any detail about it.

Research into firms elsewhere in the UK by the British Chambers found that only 12% knew about the Protocol in detail and one third had either only heard of the protocol or never heard of it at all.

Ann McGregor, chief executive of the NI Chamber, said: “The last 12 months have brought substantive changes for exporters and this report brings into sharp focus the serious issues they are facing with regards to supply chain difficulties and additional paperwork.

“Issues with additional red tape must be resolved and NI Chamber continues to work closely with the NI Executive, UK and EU negotiators on this issue.”

She said the new post-Brexit trading arrangements had also brought disruption for firms in Great Britain. “However, the findings suggest that the cost pressures that have been placed on local businesses are more acute, which potentially places them at a competitive disadvantage.”

The research also found firms here were more likely to have expansion and investment plans, with 46% planning to grow in markets here and Great Britain.

Just over 40% of exporters had plans to grow in the Republic or other EU markets, compared to just 17% in Great Britain.

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