Ballon Meats, the Co Carlow-based meat processor, recorded healthy growth in sales for its 2018 financial year. Accounts filed with the companies office (CRO) show that Ballon Meats recorded sales of €36.3m for 2018, which was up 9% on the previous year.

Ballon generates just under 50% of its sales here in Ireland (€17.9m) while the remainder of sales come from export customers (€18.4m).

For 2018, Ballon recorded operating profits of just over €175,000, with operating profit margins razor-thin at just 0.5%. Pre-tax profits for the year stood at €147,205. Like many companies in the meat industry, Ballon is a high-turnover, low-margin business.

Despite the tight profit margins, the 2018 result is a significant improvement on Ballon’s 2017 financial year, when the company racked up operating losses of more than €270,000.

Owned by the Salter family, Ballon Meats has an asset value of just under €5.5m and employs 83 people. The company processes cattle and sheep at its Ballon site and mainly supplies the foodservice and wholesale market.