Book delving into life of late entrepreneur Denis

Book delving into life of late entrepreneur Denis

13 November 2024

A FASCINATING new book being penned on the life of Downpatrick business entrepreneur Denis Lynn will be launched in 2026.

Entitled Running Out Of Time, it is being written by Jago Pearson who worked alongside the highly acclaimed and award-winning businessman for a number of years.

The book spells out the life of a maverick businessman who went from near bankruptcy to an entrepreneurial powerhouse who became one of the most respected figures in the business world.

Denis Lynn was a force of nature, he was unique, a one off and a man who had an insatiable appetite for innovation, allied with an infectious passion for delivering positive change for the planet and its people.

Sadly, he lost his life aged 63 in a quad bike accident in May 2021 just a short distance from his home.

Mr Lynn was the founder and chairman of Finnebrogue Artisan and was one of Northern Ireland’s leading business innovators.

His success story is all the more remarkable given that he left school at 15 with no qualifications, but went on to become chairman of one of Europe’s leading food manufacturing companies with a turnover in excess of £100m and employing 1,000 people.

Mr Lynn lost his father when he was 15 but his sadness was channelled into success and his drive was to change the world through food.

The book will provide a fascinating insight into his life from humble beginnings to an innovator in the food industry and a many revered and lauded by his peers.

Biteback Publishing has acquired the authorised biography of the distinguished entrepreneur who was one of the pre-eminent entrepreneurs of his generation.

Named by Rick Stein as one of Britain’s food heroes, supplier to Heston Blumenthal’s acclaimed Fat Duck, Marks & Spencer and, in time, every other British supermarket, Mr Lynn built his business into one of the flag-bearers of the food industry.

Named entrepreneur of the year in 2019 by the Institute of Directors, he was described as an “iconoclast with a fearlessness in the face of convention” by industry bible The Grocer. 

His life was more than six decades of high drama, from a childhood at the beginning of the Troubles – blighted by family tragedy and personal strife – to being a self-made multi-millionaire.

On his death, King Charles – who visited Finnebrogue Artisan’s Downpatrick base in 2019 – heralded Mr Lynn’s “great legacy”.

Newscaster Dermot Murnaghan, a school friend of Lynn’s, remembers the “waif and stray teenager” as he was before “bulldozing” his way into the big time. 

Jago Pearson was chief strategy officer at Finnebrogue for six years and continues to sit on the company’s board as a non-executive director. He was formerly a public relations executive and political advisor. 

Mr Pearson said: “I am delighted to have been entrusted by the Lynn family to tell this jaw-ping tale, warts and all, and to be working with a publisher of the calibre and reputation of Biteback.

“It was exhilarating working alongside Denis Lynn and it’s now both a great privilege and a great responsibility to document his six decades of personal and professional drama.”

Olivia Beattie, Biteback’s editorial director, acquired world rights for the new book direct from the author.

She said that from the opening lines, Jago’s “vivid, immediate prose packs a tremendous narrative punch”.

She added: “There’s no one better placed to tell the story of one of our most remarkable and maverick businessmen. From near bankruptcy to entrepreneurial powerhouse, this is a story of ingenuity and determination, innovation and risk taking and Biteback are delighted to be putting it into readers’ hands.”

Running Out Of Time will be published in 2026 with hard back copies priced £20. The ISBN number is 9781785909467.