Symphonia Spirits in Moy, Co Tyrone has gained a listing in Tesco stores across Northern Ireland for its unique and award winning Irish apple rum.  In addition, the craft distiller headed by organic chemist Dr Ulrich Dyer has been highly commended for its focus on sustainability.

The Symphonia rum, distilled at the Woodlab Distillery, gained the Tesco business following a direct pitch to the supermarket’s buyer who was impressed by the taste of the spirit and its presentation. A listing followed the presentation.

Dr Dyer, commenting on the new business with Tesco, said: “This is a very welcome boost especially at this time with Christmas approaching. Our Irish apple rum makes a perfect and warming drink for round the fire at home on these cold evenings and is also an ideal gift for the season or any time of the year.”

The small batch distillery, which produces a range of gin as well as the rum, was also delighted to have been highly commended in the influential 2021 Footprint Drinks Sustainability Awards in Britain.

The annual awards are regarded as the barometer for sustainability and responsible business practice for the drinks industry and represents the annual celebration of businesses and individuals making a difference to sustainability in the industry and its supply chain.

Dr Dyer continues: “It’s quite an achievement for a small distillery like Woodlab to be recognised among many bigger producers of all types of beverages. It’s a marvellous endorsement of our sharp focus on operating to the highest sustainability standards in everything we do.”

The commendation follows recognition by the judges of Dr Dyer’s focus on “creating successful spirits while remaining consistently mindful about how to reduce the company’s impact on energy and the earth’s natural resources. It meant harnessing science with nature to create the best tasting spirits possible, capturing the wonderful flavours and fragrances of botanicals in the most eco-efficient way.”

The aim was to make spirits that reflect the glory of the Northern Irish countryside. Symphonia’s ethos also meant giving something back to the country. The company features a scientific approach to the developing flavours. Ingredients were also sourced as ethically and locally wherever possible –this helps the environment by reducing carbon emissions due to transport and supports the local economy 

The distillery, in addition, was different in its use of recycled glass in the stills, which are not only more environmentally friendly than copper, but they have also been scientifically proven to give a cleaner taste.

The distillery created a unique process combining three techniques: cold distillation, hydrodistillation, and molecular analysis.  These ground-breaking innovations ensured the rich, delicate, flavours of the botanicals are extracted with the maximum efficiency and preserve their taste quality. They also hugely reduce energy consumption using only two percent of the energy required for traditional distilling. These techniques brought additional space efficiency.  The distillery has a reduced physical footprint compared to others. It is the only distillery in the world using these combined processes.

Remaining true to the purity of science and nature is at the heart of Symphonia’s ethos.

In practise, this means harnessing science with nature to create the best tasting spirits possible, capturing the wonderful flavours and fragrances of botanicals in the most eco-efficient way.

Crilly’s Sweets, a leading producer of quality confectionery, has launched a six-strong range of menthol cough drops ahead of the winter season or colds and sore throats.

The innovative range of Mr Crilly’s Throat and Cough drops in produced at the company’s plant in Newry, county Down and features: Honey and Lemon Menthol; Throat and Chest Menthol; Menthol and Eucalyptus; Blackcurrant Menthol; Cherry Menthol; and Peppermint Menthol. The sweets retail at £1 per bag

The new menthol sweets are a logical extension of Crilly’s vast experience in developing and manufacturing boiled sweets and other confectionery for clients in the UK, Ireland and further afield including China.

David Crilly, a director of the family business which has been operating in Newry since 1987, explains: “We’ve been working on the development of the menthol range for several years and have now produced a range of different flavours that customers are finding delicious and, of course, help in combating colds, chills and sore throats so common at this time of year especially in the UK, Ireland and Europe.

We’ve created a distinctive branding for the menthol range which reflects our family tradition in quality and tasty hard-boiled sweets. And we are delighted with the very positive response from retailers here and further afield. As a result, the novel range is now attracting firm orders from home and abroad,” he adds.

Crilly’s Sweets is owned by Crilco Confections Ltd, Ireland’s only manufacturer of quality boiled sweets and other confectionery. The family-owned and managed business has invested extensively in its manufacturing and storage facilities and widely respected worldwide for the quality of its confectionery and responsive customer services. The company is one of a small number of boiled sweets producers in Great Britain.

In addition to growing business with pick and match stores in China, Crilly’s also sells confectionery to leading retailers in Britain including Aldi, discounters B&M and Poundstretcher, and also exports to the Republic of Ireland, the US, Australia, Germany, Italy, France and the Czech Republic.

The company was started by Peter Crilly, the managing director, in 1974 and is now run with sons David and Ciaran. It currently employs around 40 people in Newry.

Almost 30 innovative products from 20 Northern Ireland companies have been shortlisted for the finals of this year’s prestigious Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards 2021 to be held in Dublin later this month.

The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards, which includes Invest NI among its sponsors, is the most important awards for food and drink retailing on the island of Ireland.

The influential awards, supported by food and drink retailers, celebrates the achievements and outstanding quality and tastes of products from the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland every year. The winners are chosen by a panel of expert food judges and announced on 23 November.

The Northern Ireland successs:

Beer
Inclusive of Ales, Cider, Lager, Porters and Stouts

·        Aldi Armagh Craft Cider Sweet, Armagh Cider Company, Armagh, Co Armagh

 Food Service

Inclusive of Foodservice BOH Dry Goods/ Ingredients, Foodservice Bread and Morning Goods, Foodservice Food to Go, Foodservice Meat

·     Pulled Ham Hock and Whole Grain Mustard Tosta, Deli Lites,  Warrenpoint, Co Down

 Breakfast Products

Inclusive of Ambient Breakfast Products and Breakfast Baked Goods

·       Lidl Deluxe Organic Wafer Oats, Whites Oats, Co Armagh

Store Cupboard Items

·       Balsamic Sugar, Burren Balsamics, Richhill, Co Armagh

 Oils, Vinegars and Dressings

·        Burren Balsamics, Blackberry and Thyme Infused Balsamic Vinegar

 Snacks

Inclusive of Good Choice Snacks – Savoury and Good Choice Snacks – Sweet

·        Gourmet Crunch Thai Sweet Chilli 5 x18g Multipack, Golden Popcorn, Antrim, Co Antrim

·        Green Fingers Family, Larne, Co Antrim Berry Bliss Raspberry Granola

 Ready Meals

·        Carlos Mexican Bean Enchiladas, Deli Lites, Warrenpoint, Co Down

·        Lidl Deluxe Beef Ragu, Daily Bake, Portadown, Co Armagh

·        Lidl Deluxe Chicken & Mushroom Risotto, Daily Bake

Quiches, Pies and Pasties

·        Lidl Deluxe Maple Cured Bacon and Gruyere Cheese Quiche, McColgan’s, Strabane, Co Tyrone

Pasta and Pizza

Inclusive of Pasta, Rice and Grains and Pizzas

·        Lidl Deluxe Tomato & Mozzarella Sourdough Pizza, Crust & Crumb, Derrylin, Co Fermanagh

·        Lidl Sourdough Pizza Half & Half – Goat’s Cheese, Onion & Spinach / ‘Nduja, Picante Salami, Red Peppers, Crust & Crumb

·        Pizzado, Choice Pizza, Portaferry, Co Down

 Meal Accompaniments

·        Aldi Specially Selected Cranberry, Apricot & Orange Stuffing, TS Foods, Castlewellan, Co Down

·        Aldi Specially Selected Smoked Bacon & Butter Leek Stuffing, TS Foods

·        Carrot & Parsnip Mash, Mash Direct, Comber, Co Down

·        Flame Grilled Steak Flavour Crispy Onions, Milgro, Coleraine, Co Derry

·       Original Flavour Crispy Onions, Milgro

 Food to Go

·        Applegreen Salt and Chilli Chicken Wrap, Deli Lites

Crisps

·        Dunnes Stores Simply Better Hand Cooked Clogherhead Sea Salt & White Wine Vinegar Crisps, Glens of Antrim Potatoes, Cushendall, Co Antrim

·        Glens of Antrim Crisps, Sweet Sriracha Chilli

Fresh Produce

Inclusive of Fruit Unprepared, Salad Prepared, Vegetables Prepared, Vegetables Unprepared

·        Aldi Specially Selected Fiery Green Stir Fry, Willowbrook Foods, Killinchy, Co Down

 Vegetarian/Vegan – Main Meals

·        Vegan Butternut Squash & Chipotle Bean, Big Pot, Cookstown, Co Tyrone

Bacon

·        Naked Smoked Streaky Bacon, Finnebrogue Artisan, Downpatrick, Co Down

·       Naked Unsmoked Back Bacon, Finnebrogue Artisan

Sausages and Puddings

Inclusive of Sausages – Flavoured, Sausages – Traditional, Puddings

·        Kin & Kind, Hellbent Boerewors, Belfast

 Pork

·        Lidl Deluxe Irish Pork Porchetta with Lemon and Herbs, Dunbia, Dungnnon, Co Tyrone

·        Lidl Deluxe Irish Stuffed Pork Fillet with Apple and Rosemary Stuffing, Karro Food, Cookstown, Co Tyrone

Mash Direct, the Northern Ireland producer of vegetable accompaniments and convenience meals, has secured a national listing with Morrisons, a leading supermarket network in Britain, for two of its vegetable side dishes.

 The farm-based company’s traditional Red Cabbage and Beetroot and festive favourite Honey Glazed Parsnips are now on sale in Morrisons stores across Great Britain, bringing the true taste of farm fresh vegetables to homes this winter.

Lance Hamilton, sales director at Mash Direct, says: “We’re thrilled to launch these products into Morrisons stores throughout Britain.

“Our Red Cabbage and Beetroot is a year round favourite and our seasonal Honey Glazed Parsnips is looked forward to every year and so we’re delighted to offer these products to the wider market in Great Britain; giving even more customers the opportunity to enjoy our range of high quality, convenient, ready-to-eat vegetable accompaniments at the family table.”

Mash Direct is among the most successful farm-based food producers in the United Kingdom. The company is based on the Hamilton family farm at Comber in county Down.

The business was established by experienced and successful farmer Martin Hamilton with wife Tracy, a marketing expert, and is now run by sons Jack, the chief executive, and Lance, the sales director.

The successful business has won a series of major awards for the quality and taste of its products and operating systems such as Manufacturing Excellence and UK Great Taste Awards.

Morrisons has almost 500 supermarkets across England, Scotland and Wales are serves over 11 million customers each week. It also operates a popular online food store.

A brand new independently-owned distillery is to open close to the iconic Giant’s Causeway, one of Northern Ireland’s globally recognised landmarks.

The Basalt Distillery represents a departure from traditional craft distilling with an emphasis on the latest sustainable processes, cutting-edge distilling technology and an unrivalled focus on precision.

Owned and run by local couple James Richardson (24) and Martha Garbe (24), the Basalt Distillery is preparing for the launch of its first spirit, Giants Basalt Rock Gin.

Owner, James Richardson, from Coleraine, said: “Martha and I both have Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and we apply that meticulous scientific approach to distilling. This is a step away from the hand-made, craft approach. It’s something new, built on precision and accuracy as a way of creating the most incredible flavours and high-quality spirits.”

After completing Master’s degrees in Chemical Engineering, James and Martha both applied their minds to distilling and have achieved their certificate with the Institute of Brewing and Distilling, and have also completed a university course set by still manufacturer, iStill. 

Now, the Basalt Distillery focuses on the science of recipe development and the engineering of precision-distilled spirits. The distillery uses state-of-the-art technology and will use this to bring some really exciting new products to the market.

The distillery has also veered away from the traditional copper stills, opting for a stainless-steel square still, called iStill. The iStill eliminates the inconsistencies that occur when using traditional copper stills. It also helps deal with issues such as fluctuations in air pressure and temperature, as well as cooling. It means the products can be exactly replicated every single time.

Martha said: “Our flagship product is Giants Basalt Rock Gin – inspired by the basalt rock that filters our water from our own 600ft well. Some of our key botanicals have been selected from the coastal regions of Northern Ireland including Kombu Royale which gives a salty forward flavour followed by hints of mint, and sea buckthorn with a sour forward flavour and a slight fruity sweetness supporting flavour. The third key botanical is from further afield – Tailed peppers, or piper cubeba – which brings peppery spices and a slight bitterness. All of these botanicals contribute to the complex, bold, three-dimensional flavour profile that’s carried by our high 50.1% ABV and brings on heat and a kick.”

“We really wanted to create a unique gin with powerful flavours – a bold, strong gin full of heat and spice to represent a ‘Giants’ spirit.”

The Basalt Distillery are committed to sustainability, and their entire operation is directed by a social and environmental conscience.

James said: “We apply high sustainability standards across all of our processes, and we will release only 40,000 bottles of Giants Basalt Rock Gin every year – one to represent each of the basalt rock columns that form the Giant’s Causeway.”

This approach of putting planet before profit is a testament to their commitment to protecting the world’s finite resources, and a sign of their gratitude for all that nature has provided.

The Basalt Distillery is based at Bushmills, county Antrim. The independently-owned distillery focuses on modern practices and state-of-the-art equipment to produce bold, flavourful spirits inspired by the dramatic local natural landscape and the scientific background of the founders. The Basalt Distillery’s flagship product is Giants Basalt Rock Gin and with a focus on innovation more products are already in the pipeline at the distillery that only opened in 2021.

Ballymena’s ‘Waffleman’ Michael Henderson is exploring new business opportunities beyond his longstanding focus on ‘street food’ by baking waffles better suited for retail here, in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

Michael, a popular trader at markets and other outdoor events for his unique Belgian Liege waffles for eat-on-the go snacks, has used this baking expertise to come up with a product that offers a much longer shelf-life, greater security for the small enterprise and more scope to grow sales here and further afield.

He’s ‘going Dutch’ now with luxury Stroopwafels, a wafer waffle made from two thin layers of baked dough joined by a caramel filling which were first made in the Dutch city of Gouda, also famed, of course, for its distinctive cheese, in the 18^th century and are now a popular dish throughout the Netherlands.

“Street food has become extremely competitive and has always been very weather dependent here,” Michael explains. “There are too many days here when adverse weather conditions have prevented me from trading at open-air events. This, of course, has a serious impact on my small business,” Michael explains.

He started Born & Raised with wife Lisa serving hot, topped Liège waffles from a converted horse trailer at events across Northern Ireland. As the world adapted to various new ‘normals’ throughout the pandemic, Michael, a father of two young children, did his best to adapt too. During lockdown he took a few weeks to consider how the small enterprise could survive…waffles at home was the answer.

“It took a huge effort to reinvent what we do and to create a home bakery but it sustained our business. It gave us a new direction, a new rhythm and a more family focused working life to move forward,” Michael continues.

When restrictions eased, he says, the company began to focus on its “signature Liège waffles” for collection and extended the waffle family, launching the Stroopwafels that can be posted across the UK and Ireland”.

“It’s a joy to do what I love and for the heart of it now to be at home. We are incredibly grateful to the customers who keep our business going, who have supported us through difficult times and beyond…they really are the best bunch of wafflers!”

Michael’s stroopwafels are the outcome of a year of planning and development. “The stroopwafel is a soft, cinnamon, waffle biscuit filled with sweet, buttery caramel. I have adapted and handcrafted our own delicious Born & Raised stroopwafel recipe, dipped in a selection of luxurious Belgian chocolate. These delicious treats are made from fresh quality ingredients and handcrafted at every stage of the process to bring consumers something of which I am incredibly proud. Our waffles are made fresh to order and available to the UK and Ireland.

The Liege waffles were “a great ‘street food’ but generally best consumed as soon as possible after they’ve been made,” he explains.

“This limited the scope of my business and opportunities for growth. The new stroopwafels were ideal for supply in boxes and posted out to customers who order them from the company’s website.

And the new stroopwafels from Ballymena appear to be well on the road to success. Michael is now filling orders from Great Britain, spreading his small business into external sales.

“I’ve been immensely encouraged by the interest being shown in the stroopwaffles in just a few weeks since I first launched them on my website,” he continues.

Stroopwafels, he says, are now enjoyed throughout the Netherlands and further afield “Today, stroopwafels are sold at markets, by street vendors, and in supermarkets across Europe, and since 2016 United Airlines has been serving them as a breakfast snack on its domestic flights.”

The creation of his own stroopwaffels reflects Michael’s passion for baking. He would watch his mother baking and learned a lot from her. He subsequently started baking as a hobby.

“It was quite a leap from my original training as a metal worker.  Both, of course, require manual dexterity. I worked in a ventilation business and then at Shorts for 11 years. I guess I’ve always been good at working with my hands and had a long held desire to start my own small business,” he continues.  “I love being my own boss.” He’s since signed up with Food NI to help promote the small business and has become a popular figure at markets across Northern Ireland.

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Waffleman: Michael Henderson of Born and Raised in Ballymena creates a new retail operation with a popular waffle from the Netherlands

Stroopwafels: The popular boxed Dutch stroopwafels baked in Ballymena