Cara Partners to create 60 jobs in Cork in €130m expansion

Cara Partners, a member of Germany's Schwabe Group, has announced a €130m modernisation and and expansion plan for its Little Island Facility in Cork.

The new multi-million-euro investment is expected to create 60 new highly skilled roles over the next four years.

The Schwabe Group, which is a global leader in natural health solutions such as plant-based medicines, established Cara Partners in Little Island in 1978.

The company said its expansion will result in the development of processes to produce 15 additional Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) products at the Little Island facility. There will also be significant investment in modernising and increasing the volume of the production of its existing API product.

The project is being supported by IDA Ireland.

Stephen Kenny, Cara Partners General Manager, this investment in Cara Partners will secure the future of the site for the next decades and will provide great job opportunities for the people of Cork and nationally.
"From the inception, Schwabe, a family owned and run business working with Cara Partners have developed an excellent culture in Cork, both in terms of the technical ability of the staff and a very innovative fulfilling environment," he said.
"We in Cara Partners look forward to implementing this exciting group strategic investment plan over the coming years," he added.

Dr Frank Waimer, Chief Operations Officer at Schwabe Group, said that Cara Partners has been part of the Schwabe Group for over 40 years and is an expert in the extraction of API from natural herbal material.
"Following this investment Cara Partners will be the global centre of excellence within the Schwabe Group and worldwide," he added.
The Minister for Enterprise Trade & Employment Peter Burke said that along with the creation of 60 new highly skilled roles, today's investment from Cara Partners further affirms Ireland as a leading choice for the pharmaceutical industry.
"Regional investments such as this are most welcome and remain a priority for both Government and IDA Ireland," the Minister added.

Mary Buckley, Executive Director of IDA Ireland said today's announcement of a €130m expansion and 60 high quality jobs is very welcome news and exemplifies IDA Ireland's continued commitment to winning jobs and investment for every region in Ireland.