Go Pig Takes the Road to Growth in Dynamic Market in Scotland
FoodNI member Go Pig in Belfast is to benefit from a listing by SPAR Scotland that provides significant opportunities to access a £19 billion market that’s one of Britain’s most dynamic and also close to Northern Ireland.
Benefiting from access to a network of over 300 stores are Go Pig, a Belfast-based producer of ‘guilt-free’ convenience meals. Another smaller company, Omagh’s Oatco Superfuel, a developer of innovative oat-based snack foods and porridge, has also been listed.
The two companies are delivering products to CJ Lang, a major food distributor based in Dundee and also the SPAR/EuroSPAR franchise holder for Scotland. The distributor supplies grocery products to stores across the country and has especially strong business relationships in Northern Ireland. Many of Northern Ireland’s artisan and smaller food producers have already been listed for SPAR outlets over the past decade.
Northern Ireland food and drink businesses are also regularly invited to Lang’s trade shows. Opportunities in Scotland have encouraged companies to develop innovative products for this receptive market. A good example of this is the Scottish tea blend developed by Thompson’s Family Teas in Belfast, the market leader in Northern Ireland.
Scotland, furthermore, is a popular destination for local food companies because is so close and is easy to supply products for sale there and to reach established and new customers.
Go Pig’s commercial manager Heather McCracken describes the latest sales for the manufacturer in Belfast’s Titanic Quarter as “very significant business which will help us to achieve our objective of developing significant business across Britain. The deal gives us a platform to one of the biggest food distributors and to a hugely important symbol group with a presence in most parts of Scotland. We will be supporting the new business through a major promotional campaign including the use of social media and other outlets that will enable us to increase awareness among shoppers there. It’s a tremendous opportunity for us outside Northern Ireland.”
A specialist in low calorie meals, Go Pig was formed in 2016 in a small kitchen by experienced businessman James Hutchinson and talented chef Gary Milligan. In 2018, the small business expanded into a production operation and began supplying retailers in Northern Ireland with packaged meals such as pulled beef and spicy chicken. It has since moved twice due to a need for bigger production facilities to meet growing demand for products. It is currently working from a custom-built 16,000sq ft. facility in Belfast’s sprawling Titanic Quarter.
The ambitious company has extended its product portfolio to include such popular convenience meals, branded as ‘guilt-free, including tandoori chicken, shredded ham, chicken curry and chicken katsu.
