Following our 2025 sponsorship of the Best Place to Work award, we are proud to sponsor the Overall Business of the Year at this year’s Business Excellence Awards. Ahead of this year’s awards, we caught up with the 2025 winners of the Best Place to Work Large Business category, Mackle Petfoods. The company was founded in 1972 in County Armagh and has grown into one of Ireland’s largest petfood manufacturers.
We spoke to Francesca Murray and Stacy Simpson, to see how Mackle Petfoods became Northern Ireland’s best large sized business to work in for 2025.
What did it mean for Mackle Petfoods to win the Best Place to Work – Large Business award in last year’s Irish News Business Excellence Awards?
Over the past number of years, we have made a significant investment in developing our people, and that has had a transformative impact on our culture. To receive external recognition for those efforts meant a great deal to us as a business, but more importantly, it meant so much to our employees. We made a point of celebrating the achievement with them, as it truly reflects their contribution.
Our employee surveys consistently show that people genuinely enjoy working here, so it was incredibly rewarding to see that sentiment reflected in such a prestigious award. Since winning, we’ve also noticed a tangible uplift in recruitment interest – candidates are reaching out to us directly, referencing the award and expressing a desire to be part of our team.
It has also given us a strong message to share across our social platforms, reinforcing our employer brand and helping us stand out even further.
What do you think set Mackle Petfoods apart to win the award?
A key differentiator for us is our continued investment in our people. While we are now classified as a large business, we retained the mindset and culture of a smaller, close-knit company for many years, and that’s something we’ve worked hard to preserve as we’ve grown.
That “family feel” still runs through everything we do. For example, we close the business for dedicated engagement days, which is something not many companies do. It’s a clear demonstration of how much we value our employees and the importance we place on staying connected.
In addition, we invest heavily in training and development programmes, ensuring our people have the opportunity to grow within their roles and progress their careers. That ongoing commitment to development has been central to creating a positive and supportive working environment.
Were there any specific initiatives or policies that had the biggest impact on employee satisfaction?
We’ve introduced a wide range of health and wellbeing initiatives over the past few years that have had a meaningful impact. These range from everyday gestures, such as providing fresh fruit for staff, to more substantial benefits like private medical support covering areas such as dental care, hospital visits and opticians.
Engagement and inclusion are also key priorities for us. When we launch new products or undertake rebranding projects, we involve employees across all three sites, hosting informal sessions with lunch and refreshments where teams can share feedback on these launches and really have a say in what we produce within Mackle Petfoods. It’s important that everyone feels they have a voice and can contribute, regardless of their role or department.
Given that we operate 24/5 across three shifts – early morning, afternoon and night, maintaining consistent engagement can be a challenge. To address this, we introduced our internal communications platform, the Paws App, which has significantly improved connectivity across the business. With a diverse, multi-national workforce, the app’s translation functionality is particularly valuable in ensuring clear and inclusive communication for all.
What challenges were there in building a ‘best place to work’ and how did you overcome them?
One of our biggest challenges has been ensuring inclusivity across a shift-based operation. Night shift employees in particular can sometimes feel less connected to the wider organisation, simply due to the nature of their working hours.
To overcome this, we’ve made a conscious effort to bring engagement to them, rather than expecting them to come to us. Whether it’s new initiatives, product launches or company updates, we ensure that every shift receives the same level of attention and involvement.
When employees see that effort being made, it fosters a strong sense of value and respect. It’s about making sure no one feels overlooked and that everyone, regardless of their shift, has equal opportunity to engage, contribute and feel part of the wider team.
How has winning the award influenced your future plans for your team and workplace environment?
Winning the award has reinforced our commitment to continuous improvement and investment in our people. We are continuing to expand our training and development opportunities, including leadership programmes across different departments.
We’ve also recently introduced a brand-new mentoring programme, currently being piloted with placement students and apprentices, with plans to scale it across the wider business. This initiative is designed to support integration, development and long-term career progression.
In addition, we’re launching English language classes for employees who want to further develop their written, reading and speaking skills. This is particularly beneficial for those who are already confident in spoken English but want to enhance their overall communication abilities.
Everything we do is focused on the future – ensuring we continue to provide opportunities for our people to grow, feel supported and thrive within the organisation.