Neary Nógs, the Northern Ireland producer of bean-to-bar chocolate, has won the prestigious Mott Green Award from the influential Academy of Chocolate in London for its commitment to sustainability, eco packaging and support for cacao farmers and their communities.

Based near Newry in county Down, Neary NógsChocolate Makers, a family owned business run by husband and wife team Shane and Dot Neary, has developed into a world leader in artisanal chocolates and a leading supplier to top retailers such as Fortnum and Mason in London.

The Mott Green Award was among a series of special awards made by the Academy of Chocolate to artisan chocolate makers.

Shane Neary, commenting on the Mott Green Award, says: “We are over the moon to have been recognised for our sustainability practices. It’s a tremendous endorsement of our business practices by our industry.”

The award celebrates the achievements and contribution to the chocolate industry of American businessman Doug Friedman, better known as Mott Green, founder of the Grenada Chocolate Company in 1999.

Mr Green, who died in 2013, studied chocolate production in San Francisco before moving to Grenada to revolutionise the chocolate industry throughenvironmental preservation and sustainable manufacturing.

Neary Nógs worked with the Grenada Chocolate company in the development of the unique Sailboat Chocolate for Fortnum and Mason, chocolate produced, shipped and manufactured without use fossil fuels.

Neary Nógs uses solar panels to power its production operation and has also introduced eco-packaging and other environmental preservation measures. The small business was formed by Shane and Dot Neary in 2011 and has since won a series of awards for quality, taste and innovation.

Five products from three Northern Ireland companies have been shortlisted in the annual FreeFrom Food Awards, the UK’s only award for free from food and drink.

The three Northern Ireland companies in the running for top awards are:

Kestrel Foods, Craigavon, county Armagh for two branded products – Forest Feast Raspberry, Pecan and Apple Toppers in the Breakfast category and Forest Feast Slow Roasted Nut Mix with Sea Salt and Crushed Black Peppercorn and Acti-Snack branded Keto Crunch and Apple Cider Vinegar, both in the Savoury Snack and Cracker category.

Mash Direct, Comber, county Down in Ready Meals for Green Cabbage Bake

Kestrel Foods and Mash Direct are both Food NI members.

Otzibrew, Belfast in the Innovation category for Organic Chicory and Cordyceps Coffee Alternative and also for the same product in Best Packaging for a FreeFrom product

The awards, the winners of which will be announced on 27 May, celebrate the very best in freefrom food and drink. The distinctive logo assures that a product has been rigorously taste tested and has compliant/good labelling. 

Food and drinks that win the awards are seen as benchmarks in the business; small producers and supermarkets compete on a level playing field for one of our coveted awards.

Since 2008 over 5,000 freefrom products have been blind tasted by specialist judging panels. Featuring over a hundred chefs, manufacturers, dieticians and allergy reactors, many of the judges are well-known figures in the food and allergy worlds. Feedback from the panels has proved invaluable to manufacturers in encouraging development and innovation in the freefrom market.

I welcome the decision by ministers Diane Dodds and Edwin Poots to establish an independent strategic review into the future of our crucially important agri-food industry. I do so on behalf the Food NI team and especially our 450 food and drink member companies.

We all look forward to working closely with Sir Peter Kendall, the chair, and the other members tasked by the two ministers to address the challenges facing the industry especially in the post-pandemic era. 

We will do everything we can to assist the new strategy group to achieve the objective set by the ministers of unlocking “the new opportunities ahead to build a thriving, more sustainable, resilient and profitable agri-food sector”. 

It’s essential that the undoubted potential of the industry to drive economic recovery post pandemic is effectively harnessed and as quickly as practicable. It is, after all, a £5 billion industry which exports a wide range of products to around 60 global markets and employs upwards of 100,000 people across a vast supply chain.

There is clearly a very strong case to review the current state and future of the agri-food sector against the background of the past year which has seen the sector rise impressively to the unprecedented challenges it has faced due to the awful pandemic.

In particular, the lockdowns in hospitality had a profound impact on food and drink processing, requiring many processors which had depended on supplying restaurants, cafes and hotels to pivot towards a greater engagement in retailing. I’ve been very favourably impressed by how many companies of all sizes and sectors responded in terms of revised marketing techniques and the introduction of innovative food experiences for consumers here and further afield. 

We saw smaller enterprises pitching for – and winning – listings with major supermarkets in Britain and the Republic of Ireland. And more local products from smaller producers are now listed by online retailers Amazon and Ocado. 

We were able to help many of these companies through our engagement with our colleagues in Invest NI which deployed significant resources to help companies win new business in Britain, the Republic of Ireland and beyond especially the US. 

Other substantial changes in the business environment faced by our companies flowed from Brexit and the subsequent Irish Sea Protocol from Northern Ireland remaining within the EU. There is a pressing need to help our companies, especially smaller enterprises, prosper in these different and sometimes perplexing trading arrangements.

 “The group is also charged to provide “a sharp, focused review with recommendations for both the industry and Executive departments informing decision making and policy development”. 

I am confident the group realises how important it is to engage with the industry on a collaborative basis to come up with effective measures to improve productivity; enhancing economic and environmental sustainability, including carbon footprint; reducing access to migrant labour; Increasing the levels of innovation and R&D; addressing changing market demands for food products and opportunities; a possible regional branding; and the development of an independent UK Trade policy. 

This is quite an action list for the experts to tackle, but the industry deserves the best possible outcomes to allow it to unlock future potential.

Innovative Jerk Seasoning and Chilli Fruit Sauces have been developed and launched by artisan entrepreneur Carolyn Stewart, also a well-known radio broadcaster and presenter in Northern Ireland, to her product range. The range also features eye-catching new branding. 

The novel products are the result of development work by Carolyn, a popular presenter on U105 radio, over the past 12 months during the coronavirus lockdown. She has also created an attractive new branding for the innovative products underher new Carolyn Stewart – Turn up the Flavour brand. Carolyn fine-tuned her chili infused fruit sauces along with the latest addition of Jerk Seasoning during the last lockdown.

Carolyn says: “While the restaurants and cafes remained closed during the lockdown, one thing to come out of Covid19 was a desire among consumers for flavoursome food. I was well aware that cooking at home became the new night out. While I was no longer mixing up the tunes on a Saturday night I turned to my kitchen to fine tune my chilli infused fruit sauces and most exciting to perfect my Jerk Seasoning product.”  

The award-winning Caribbean Pickle, along with the Pineapple Chilli products where the first to undergo the new label transformation incorporating Carolyn’s love of music and food infusions under the new brand.

Carolyn continues: “So far everyone is loving the new look label. It’s a bit of retro feel that makes the product stand out a bit more on the shelves, but what I wanted most was for people to turn up the flavour of their everyday food with my easy to add ingredients’ straight from the jar! The new products are ideal for the upcoming BBQ season.”

The new additions to the product range are Blueberry Chilli Sauce, 
Raspberry Chilli Sauce, and Jerk Seasoning.

“The Jerk seasoning makes a great marinade for meats, and plant-based options, enhancing flavour but with a punch of heat to finish.  The fruit sauces can be used in any dessert, cheese board, dipping sauce or mix up a cocktail tocomplement any dinner party,” Carolyn adds.

The Caribbean Pickle has two awards – Great Taste Award 2017 and a Blas Na Eireann Award in 2019. 

Carolyn launched her first range of hot sauces under the Totally Hot NI brand in 2016.
 

Boatyard Distillery in Enniskillen has launched its award-winning double gins in New York State through a deal with established distributor Empire Merchants, a premium wine and spirit’s specialist that has roots going back to the end of Prohibition.

The distillery, based near Enniskillen in county Fermanagh in a transformed boat house overlooking Lough Erne, has also announced the appointment of Michael Smoley as market manager, in New York. 

He joins Boatyard having just enjoyed a much-laudedtenure at New York’s, NoMad Hotel. Michael was one of the key leaders behind the NoMad Bars success, with it consistently featuring in the World’s 50 Best Bars listsamongst other accolades.

Late 2020 saw Boatyard appoint previous director of bars of the Savoy, Declan McGurk as commercial director, and this recent appointment bolsters the distillery’s on trade credentials, as they strive for expansion.

Boatyard was founded by Joe McGirr in 2016 in county Fermanagh and focuses on crafting premium spirits that combine quality with provenance and heritage.

Boatyard Double Gin represents its core expression. This 46% ABV Irish distilled gin contains a locally foraged botanical called Sweet Gale, in an otherwise classic recipe. The double in its name refers to a double contact with juniper during distillation resulting in a juniper forward gin, perfect for Martinis.

Declan McGurk says: “Our US launch is a landmark moment for Boatyard, and we are overjoyed to be partnered with Empire Merchants in New York. To then add the appointment of Michael Smoley, demonstrates our intent within the market. As a business we certainly don’t have limitless resources but securing the services of Michael will allow us to ensure that the Boatyard service attitude crosses over the Atlantic.”

Michael Smoley adds: “I am beyond pleased to start my journey with the Boatyard Distillery. From day one their values have perfectly aligned with mine.  They put their people first, they’re obsessed with quality, and they’re doing it all in a sustainable way ensuring that we are here to stay.

“Launching Boatyard in the US, starting with New York, is a thrilling prospect. New Yorkers constantly see trends come and go. When we find something of genuinequality and truly innovative, we latch on and never let go. My goal is to show New Yorkers, and then the rest of the country, that Boatyard is a brand worth latching on to. The quality, passion, transparency and innovation are there. The stage is set for creating a lasting impact on the industry,” he adds.

Tempted Cider, the leading Northern Ireland craft cider brand, has secured a listing with prestigious online supermarket Ocado.

The award-winning Armagh range will be available on Ocado – Tempted Dry, Tempted Medium Dry, Tempted Sweet, Tempted Strawberry and Tempted Elderflower.  Produced in Northern Ireland’s orchard county, Co. Armagh, Tempted has racked up an impressive amount of commendations over the years, including a trophy at the International Cider Challenge and a Great Taste Award. 

Inspired by founder Davy Uprichard’s childhood memories of making wine as a hobby with his father, Tempted Cider was established in 2009. Davy, a horticulturist by trade, set up a small cidery at the family home and began pressing apples. This humble hobby kick-started a mission to make the world’s most-loved and enjoyed craft cider and now, Tempted Cider is the most-awarded cider in Ireland with five styles in its full range and Davy’s passion for celebrating and sharing local apples poured into every single drop. 

Davy says; “Craft cider-making is a promising, passionate local industry and to have the range made available to UK consumers with Ocado is hugely rewarding. The listing marks a significant milestone for Tempted Cider, making it available in the UK grocery channel and increasing brand presence nationwide.“

Gary Hyde, senior beer, cider and spirits buyer at Ocado, said:“Irish craft cider is gaining recognition and with the category growing steadily in popularity, it is a great time to add Tempted to our range. Tempted Cider has been highly commended over the years and each of the five styles has its own distinct blend and flavour which will really appeal to Ocado shoppers.” 

Tempted Cider is available from Ocado online with an RRP of £2 for the Tempted Dry, Tempted Medium Dry and Tempted Sweet;£2.35 for the Tempted Strawberry and Tempted Elderflower.

The full Tempted Cider range includes: 

Tempted Dry – showcasing the light and fruity dessert apple. Its refreshing, crisp acidity morphs into a smooth, mature, soft tannin finish of delicate, floral undertones. 

Tempted Medium Dry – calls on the green apple to create a bittersweet, smooth cider with a slight smokiness and complex mouth-feel. 

Tempted Sweet – showcases the sweet red apple for a familiar apple juice experience, with the added experience of subtle vanilla and butterscotch tones.

Tempted Strawberry – a special blend of dessert apple and strawberry wine merged to create a very natural strawberries and cream experience. 

Tempted Elderflower – brings together juicy red apple and fresh elderflower blossom for a delicately sweet cider.