Healthy ready meal manufacturer Karri Kitchen has entered liquidation after six years of trading.

The Northern-Ireland based company, which specialised in Asian-style meals and had products available in Tesco, Asda, Lidl and Spar, was “unable to meet rising production costs”, according to the liquidator, the BBC reported.

The business had net debts of nearly £700,000 when it ceased trading, including almost £200,000 owed to a County Armagh food company and £183,000 loaned to the firm by one of its directors, according to the Statement of Affairs.

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The business had stopped trading before its liquidation on 16 April and a note to the statement said the creditor figures are taken from company records, with some of the amounts being challenged and some likely to be altered.

Liquidator Lisa Lappin, from Baker Tilly Mooney Moore, told the BBC: “Karri Kitchen Ltd was a fantastic local brand that produced excellent products and had a loyal customer base.

“Its loss as a unique aspect to the local economy will be mourned, but the company was simply unable to meet rising production costs and broader economic pressures.”