“Sometimes the most valuable things come from the smallest countries or states,” Simon Coveney, Ireland’s Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, said Wednesday morning.

Now, one of the smallest countries and America’s smallest state are coming together at the Quonset Business Park.

Last year, Greencore Group announced they would build a 107,000-square-foot facility in Quonset that would also bring in 400 jobs to the state of Rhode Island.

Greencore is just about ready to open their doors for production at their new location, which is expected to grow to be Greencore’s “flagship position” in the Northeast, according to Gary Kennedy, Chairman for the Board of Directors for Greencore.

The international company, based out of Dublin, Ireland, is a convenience food manufacturer with 22 locations, 15 in the United Kingdom and seven in America.

“Our mantra, our philosophy,” Kennedy said, “is people at the core, and that will prevail here in Rhode Island. That tells you something about our relationships that a small island can become what we are now.”

On Feb. 11 Greencore held a pre-opening event in the new facility’s annex, with Gina Raimondo as well as representatives from Greencore, Kennedy and Liam McClennon, CEO of Greencore USA, as well as Coveney, who took the time out of his three-day American trip to visit the site.

McClennon said, “We have received tremendous support from the whole state of Rhode Island. This has been an extremely fast-paced project. How quickly we have been able to move forward is a testament to this business relationship.”

Raimondo is excited to see Greencore move to Quonset.

She said, “We need to move at the speed businesses want; we need to meet business demands and continue to offer open dialogue and collaboration with government.”

Just like California has Silicon Valley, Raimondo believes Rhode Island, with the help of Greencore, could become a “food valley,” becoming a hub of business for the Northeast.

When Irish companies move into the United States, they have typically flourished, according to both Kennedy and Coveney.

Kennedy said, “I used to wonder why Irish companies do so well in America. Over 40 million people claim heritage from us. When our companies move to the States it’s more like moving in with family.”

Coveney explained that Irish companies employ 80,000 Americans, and a similar amount of Irish are employed by American business across the pond. This helps both countries compliment each other’s markets.

“This is a two-way relationship and a particularly positive one, one we can continue to build off of,” Coveney said concerning Greencore.

Coveney’s main focus while in the States is completing a trade visit to promote Irish beef. Ireland is the first EU country to be able to sell meat in America, the world’s largest meat market, since the ban on British beef over 15 years ago.

The Minister of Agriculture noted that Ireland has embraced business technology and become one of the leading countries in exports in various markets, such as beef.

He said, “Ireland has made the extraordinary transition from a country know for its famine to becoming a country that produces enough food for 10 times its population. It is a fantastic story of growth and innovation, one we hope to see continue here in Rhode Island.”

Kennedy said, “We are a proud Irish company. We salute our heritage, but what excites us most is our future here. We look forward to the challenges and opportunities working in Rhode Island will bring.”

There is room for the company to expand further, bringing their facilities up to 105,000 square feet, and the hope is that within the next few years they will do so.

Raimondo said, “We need to streamline processes and provide ethical and transparent government, which is what you can get here in Rhode Island. It is a firm belief of mine that we need to focus on creating more middle-class jobs, and I will move Heaven and Earth to make sure companies like Greencore are successful.”

Greencore is currently planning to officially open within the next few weeks and begin training for production.

For more information on Greencore visit their website at www.greencore.com.