Papas Minerals, the Northern Ireland specialist in traditional non-alcoholic drinks, has experienced a significant rise in sales in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland during the current pandemic lockdown.

The company, based in Bangor, county Down, and a Food NI member, has also had approaches for its old-fashioned beverages such as ginger wine, including a sugar-free version, as well as cordials with elderflower, clove and spiced winterberry flavours. It also produces a sarsaparilla and a traditional lemonade.

The surge in sales, especially outside Northern Ireland, is the result of an investment by the small artisan business in the latest digital technology for e-commerce.

Wayne Adair, founder of Papas Minerals, explains: “We set up the e- commerce site just before Christmas and ahead of the current pandemic. The decision was influenced by the first lockdown and the closure of the Christmas markets that we take part in such as Belfast St George’s and the Continental, as well as two in Glasgow and Galway. All cancelled along with many other events.”

He continues: “It’s proved to be a wise decision and has driven sales. The additional business in Britain and the Irish Republic has increased our profile in both markets.”

The company has seen its unique ginger wine leading the growth in sales. “As people have to encouraged to order six bottles, they have been choosing a range of minerals in glass bottles which are easily recycled. They’ve also been choosing spiced winterberry, a clove and a peppermint,” adds Wayne.

The company has also seen a rapid growth in digital of its contemporary mixers including its Longbridge branded ginger ale, traditional tonic and raspberry and rose throughout the UK and Irish Republic.

The traditional craft minerals are produced from original recipes without artificial flavours, colours or sweeteners.

Wayne, who founded the award winning craft business in 1999, says the growth, especially in Britain, has also been influenced by increasing interest in traditional products with provenance and heritage.

“We are finding increasingly that people of all ages are looking for different tastes from artisan producers who have total control over their products. Our minerals are all handcrafted and bottled from original recipes and using traceable ingredients. Customers can count on different flavours from consistently high quality non-alcoholic beverages.

Papas Minerals produces its range of soft drinks in 750ml bottles, also hand labelled. 

Antrim based manufacturing firm Golden Popcorn, has won a contract with Aldi in the Republic of Ireland estimated to be worth £500,000. 

The contract was secured following financial and business development support from Invest Northern Ireland and will see Golden Popcorn produce its healthy crisps for Aldi Ireland’s Snackrite brand, which will be on the shelves of over 140 Aldi Ireland stores. 

Sean McClinton, Managing Director of Golden Popcorn, said: “The snack industry has changed dramatically over the last five years as consumers look for healthier alternatives to standard snacks. Healthier snacking doesn’t have to be boring and Aldi Ireland’s new Satin Crunch crisps which will be produced by us certainly fit the bill. We purchased new machinery a number of years ago which has enabled us to develop and add new products to our portfolio and meet the demands from key customers like Aldi.  

“The Republic of Ireland is our main market and this deal is yet another step forward for our business. Invest NI’s business development support has been invaluable in helping us to build relationships with high profile supermarket chains like Aldi Ireland. Its support has assisted us to build our brand and expand our product range to meet the needs of the increasing appetite for healthier snacks. We are optimistic that this deal will be a catalyst for success in other markets.” 

Invest NI offered £45,000 of support towards the purchase of new equipment as well as expert business advice and guidance through a range of virtual meet the buyer events. 

Welcoming Golden Popcorn’s latest success, John Hood, Invest NI’s Director of Food & Drink said: “Golden Popcorn is a highly ambitious SME which is using innovation, new product development and exports to ensure the future sustainability of its business.  This is a winning strategy, which is earning the company a strong reputation in the snack industry and paying dividends in the RoI market. 

“Our team in Invest NI has supported Golden Popcorn over a number of years to expand its business and grow in other markets.  Our introductions to Aldi Ireland, alongside support for new equipment and expert business advice has been a winning combination for the company. This deal represents another great milestone for Golden Popcorn and one which we look forward to supporting the company to build upon.”

The possibility that many of the current Covid-19 restrictions could stretch into the first quarter of next year has understandably revived concerns over the future of our talented hospitality sector. 

Hospitality, other industries and indeed the wider community needs hope that things will change significantly especially when the vaccination programme has been largely completed. We all need something positive to look forward to. The sector needs to know that it has a future, that it’s day will come…and soon.

Top chef and restaurateur Michael Deane, a Taste of Ulster member, was characteristically forthright last week about the prospect of such a lengthy ban on the sector, warning that many of the existing restaurants, cafes and bars may never open again. What sort of hospitality sector are we likely to have to support efforts to regenerate tourism port-pandemic? 

Tourism, of course, is a key economic driver and before the advent of the coronavirus was on target to reach over £1billion. The sector has no idea when it will be allowed to open again for business. And once it does open, it will be reliant on local visitors while public confidence to global travel returns. 

I support Michael, who recently saw the prestigious Michelin star retained at the EIPIC fine dining eatery in Belfast’s Howard Street, and the Bib Gourmand by Deane’s at Queen’s, and endorse his call to the Executive to give hospitality sector,which has invested huge amounts to ensure that the various establishments are safe for customers and staff, a well-deserved ‘break’.

It’s a sector which deserves great praise for its resilience and creativity. While many have sought to keep ticking over by launching call and collect and delivery services from limited menus, others have developed different responses to the crisis. At least three that I know of have introduced province-wider delivery services – Mourne Seafood, Shu and Coppi, all based in Belfast – a costly operation.  

Other encouraging responses include Pier 36 in Donaghadeepackaging its most popular fishes for sale by retailers in the town and nearby Millisle; and Cyprus Avenue, Belfast introducing a novel Corner Shop stocked with local artisan foods, an extremely useful service for smaller producers and shoppers seeking genuinely local food.

Many of those involved in such initiatives are also Taste of Ulster members.

Interestingly, an initiative for redundant chefs and aspiring hospitality entrepreneurs has been developed by two experienced marketers, Ryan Crown and Ema O’Kane, in the novel Hill Street Hatch in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter, once the city’s hospitality and entertainment hub.

Hill Street Hatch offers individual chefs and entrepreneurs an attractive space in which to create convenience food in particular and sell to the public through the hatch in Hill Street.  It aims to become a food innovation hub which can be used on a short-term basis to try out and develop new ideas.Belfast certainly needs such a hub.

Another interesting project is the Lagan Street Food Market that’s planned for Drumbo Park outside Belfast which will focus on our street food sector.

The sector’s fight for survival merits an action plan from the Executive that will encourage entrepreneurs to get up and running as quickly as practicable when it’s deemed safe to do so.

The main components of such a plan should be action on rates, the long-term retention of VAT at nine percent, speedy implementation of licensing reform and funding to enable companies to get going again. Northern Ireland – and our high streets in particular – needs a vibrant and ambitious hospitality infrastructure.

Portadown-based Irwin’s Bakery and Lidl Northern Ireland expand 20-year partnership deal

Tuesday 16^th February 2021: Irwin’s Bakery has proven a big success with Lidl Northern Ireland as the region’s fastest growing supermarket today confirmed a new and expanded contract for the full year ahead after a successful 20-year partnership deal worth more than £50 million.

Established in 1912 and employing more than 450 staff, the bakery has been a long-term supplier to Lidl Northern Ireland since it opened its first store in Cookstown in 1999. 

Under the new supply deal, worth £2.7 million annually, the family-run bakery will continue to supply customer favourites including Nutty Krust batch bread, Irwin’s Veda malted loaf and Jammy Joeys buns to 202 Lidl stores across the island of Ireland.

With a focus on innovation, Irwin’s has also introduced an expanded new product range to Lidl Northern Ireland this year including traditional buttermilk soda bread and a low-calorie wholemeal sliced bread at only 59 calories per slice.

Ben Woods, Supply Chain Executive at Lidl Northern Ireland, said:

“As a retailer committed to supporting local food producers, we are proud of our long-standing partnership with Irwin’s Bakery. A brand synonymous with Northern Ireland, Irwin’s was integral in supporting Lidl’s growth over two decades ago. Since then, we’ve worked strategically together to advance our business growth for the benefit of customers and staff.

Since 1999, our partnership with Irwin’s has delivered over £50 million of products through our store network across the island and we’re hungry for more. This renewed supply deal with Irwin’s will see a range of innovative new products introduced alongside family favourites and cements our commitment to investing in home-grown producers as we enter a new decade of growth in the retail sector.

Lidl’s increased focus on bakery has been enthusiastically embraced by customers locally and, with an extensive range of great-tasting, locally-produced products, we’re proud to provide our customers with the freshest, best-quality bread and baked goods for an authentic taste of Northern Ireland.”

Michael Murphy, Irwin’s Bakery Chief Executive Officer, said:

“We thrilled to count Lidl Northern Ireland as one of our major customers and to have supported its own success over 20 years. During this time, Irwin’s has enjoyed double digit growth across a variety of bakery sectors and our supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland continues to grow year-on-year. Not only has this supply contract supported our growth strategy, but it has also enabled us to increase production, create more jobs locally and expand our range of products.

The renewal of the supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland marks a new decade of partnership and we look forward to seeing where this will take us next. It’s great to work with a company that has the same brand values and commitment to its local communities and we will continue to support each other in our efforts. With an eye on future growth, we are keen to expand our scope of supply through Lidl Northern Ireland and hope to bring our authentic tasting products to new markets.”

The supply deal is the latest move by the retailer in its ongoing support and commitment to local food suppliers.

An independent report into the economic impact of Lidl Northern Ireland’s operations revealed that the retailer spends at least £290 million annually with suppliers across the region while also supporting 3,500 jobs.

In 2018, Lidl Northern Ireland struck a deal with Northern Ireland’s Dale Farm, the UK’s largest farmer-owned dairy co-operative, to supply locally made cheddar cheese to 8,000 Lidl stores across 22 countries in the UK, Europe and the United States.

In 2020, Lidl Northern Ireland announced a £24 million contract with Fermanagh-based bakery, Crust & Crumb, to supply an expanded line of pizza products across more than 1,000 UK and Ireland stores whilst top Northern Ireland horticulturalist Greenisland Flowers secured a new supply deal with Lidl Northern Ireland to ship over four million stems of freshly cut tulips, lilies and scented stocks, building on their existing partnership worth more than £7.2 million. 

The Irwin’s bakery range at Lidl includes a selection of batch bread, fruit bread, rolls and muffins, pan bread, wheaten bread and Veda malt loaf alongside sweet favourites, Jammy Joeys, Snowy Joeys and Iced Diamonds. 

For more information visit https://www.lidl-ni.co.uk/.

Mash Direct, Northern Ireland’s leading producer of vegetable dishes, has secured alisting of eight of their farm-fresh, convenient vegetable products on the shelves of 18 M&S Irish stores.  

The products available include Mash Direct Mashed Potato, Mashed Turnip, Carrot & Parsnip in regular and single servings as well as Green Cabbage and Potato Cakes. 

Mash Direct is a sixth generation farming family business in Comber, county Down currently owned and run by Martin and Tracy Hamilton and their sons, Lance and Jack.  Over the past 25 years from the initial dream of making traditional ‘Ulster’ Champ for convenience in 2004, the Hamilton family has grown Mash Direct into a National household brand, employing 245 people and serving up over 50 product lines.

Speaking about the new listing, Lance Hamilton, sales director at Mash Direct comments: “We are very proud to have achieved a listing in M&S stores across the island of Ireland.  We look forward to working with M & S Irish stores and having our Irish, 100% gluten-free, ‘field-to-fork’, vegetable accompaniments range that is locally grown on our six-generation family farm sit proudly on their shelves.”

The Hamilton family developed a small industrial kitchen on their farm to capture a traditional cooking style, specially designing and building a number of pieces of equipment including a unique masher and steam cooker. The bespoke equipment ensures that the vegetables can be steamed gently to retain optimum nutrients and capture the fresh harvested flavour and texture. Each dish is gluten-free and free from artificial flavourings and colourings.  

Mash Direct produces over 50 farm fresh products, 23 of which have won Great Taste Awards. From innovative creations, like Mashed Potato, Green Cabbage, and Potato Cakes, to traditional classics, like Carrot & Parsnip Mash, there are Mash Direct products for every occasion. All products are cooked to perfection and are the ideal accompaniment to individual home cooked meals, Sunday lunches or family celebrations. Suitable for microwave and oven heating.

Warrenpoint-based food-to-go manufacturer Deli Lites, a Food NI member company, has announced plans for a multimillion-pound investment as part of its strategy to grow internationally, which has been backed by Ulster Bank.

Deli Lites is run by husband and wife team Brian and Jackie Reid and employs a team of almost 300 staff. Clients include the likes of Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Costa.

The company has switched banking partners, with Ulster Bank now providing additional funding facilities to accelerate growth over the next five years.

The business has earmarked a significant investment for the implementation of new technologies to maximise sales, as well as investment in research and development.

Managing director Brian Reid said: “Despite the challenges the sector faced in 2020, our retail business and export markets remained strong. 

“As we invest in the future of the company, we aim to further develop our international business where we see significant opportunities. We are entering a very exciting period in our growth story and are ready to showcase what an Irish producer can do on the world stage.”

Caroline McKeown, senior relationship manager at Ulster Bank, added: “We are extremely pleased to support Deli Litesas it enters an exciting period of high growth.”