The Echlinville Distillery in Kircubbin is to invest over £9million and create 36 new jobs as it expands its facilities in the Ards Peninsula.

Food NI member Echlinville distils and bottles a range of premium and super-premium spirits. The award winning SME is expanding its distillery to help it increase production capacity and grow its brands of Irish whiskey and gin globally.

Making the announcement, Invest Northern Ireland’s CEO, Kevin Holland said: “Since establishing in 2012, EchlinvilleDistillery has developed a number of well-established brands which are making their mark on the international whiskey and gin market. This investment will enable it to grow further and develop its portfolio of award winning products. With an emphasis on brand development, it will also drive growth in global sales of its premium and ultra-premium Irish whiskey and gin.

“The investment includes the development of a new immersive visitor’s centre and the creation of 36 new jobs which is great news for the local Ards & North Down Borough Council area. Roles on offer include operational, administrative and visitor centre roles and once in place, will contribute over £1million of additional annual salaries for the Northern Ireland economy.

“It is impressive to see a company scale so quickly in such a short period of time. We have assisted its trade activities, recently supporting it to secure a distribution agreement in Canada. The company’s Dunville whiskey is now on the shelves of almost 900 stores across Canada. Our partnership approach is clearly working and I look forward to seeing Echlinville’s export ambitions continuing to reap rewards.”

Shane Braniff, Owner of Echlinville Distillery said: “This investment will help us to substantially increase our production capacity and grow our export sales tenfold over the next five years. We are adding capacity in distillation, bottling, labelling, storage and brand development, all of which are key to further establishing our brands in major international markets including Russia and the US.

Invest NI has offered Echlinville £659,000 of support towards the purchasing of new equipment, the extension of its storage facilities to meet anticipated demand for its products and the creation of 36 jobs.

Shane added: “As Northern Ireland’s first farm distillery, our whiskey has ‘field to glass’ traceability – something that is increasingly important in the global food and drink industry. We have built a strong reputation based on that approach and the quality of our products. Irish whiskey is recognised as the world’s fastest growing spirits category, which is giving us a great foundation upon which to build our export business with the help of this funding from Invest NI.

“Every bottle that leaves our distillery features our address in Kircubbin and tells of our roots in the Ards Peninsula. Alongside increasing exports around the world, we also hope to raise awareness of what this part of Ireland has to offer and attract more visitors to the area with the development of a dedicated visitor centre. We look forward to continued growth in the years ahead and I would like to thank Invest NI for its continued support throughout our journey so far.”

 

Cloughbane Farm Foods, Pomeroy, picked up a Gold Star at the 2020 Great Taste Awards for the brand’s homemade Lasagne.

Cloughbane Farm Lasagne, a recipe developed by Business Development Manager Robert Robinson in his family kitchen, was judged amongst 12,000 other products and was given a ‘Gold Star’ for Great Taste.

Speaking after the Great Taste announcement, Robert said;

“We are thrilled to be awarded a Gold Star for the quality of our Lasagne, a recipe close to my heart that was created for my family. Cloughbane Farm is now a team of 50, and this accolade is testament to their hard work and commitment to creating convenient, quality food.

“Our Lasagne uses the finest quality minced steak from UK and Irish farms and is cooked with a homemade white sauce creating a ready meal with no compromise on taste or nutritional value.

“Our company ethos is always to provide a true Farm to Fork experience meaning it really is a “Taste You Can Trust”; so it is no surprise that and the judges picked up on this noting that the lasagne had a wonderfully homecooked flavour.

Great Taste is widely acknowledged as the UK’s most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and speciality food producers. Over 500 chefs, food critics, journalists, and restaurateurs’ blind taste each product before awarding the highly esteemed star accreditation. One judge commented, “A lot of care and thought has gone into this product. A good lasagne is a thing of many parts. Here, the bechamel has a great cheesy flavour, the tomato ragu is rich with seasoning and the subtle herbs are well balanced. The beef is generous too. An impressive ready meal.”

Cloughbane Farm is set in the heart of Mid-Ulster in the beautiful countryside of Pomeroy, Co. Tyrone. Lorna Robinson and her family have built Cloughbane Farm Foods from the soil to a bustling business suppling customers with fresh premium produce.

Cloughbane Farm’s extensive ready meal range, including its award-winning Lasagne, is stocked in local Asda, Tesco, Sainsburys, Spar, Centra and various independent stores across Northern Ireland.

The prestigious award has been granted for his services to Economic Development in Northern Ireland.

Michael founded Kestrel Foods in 1996, launching the Forest Feast brand the same year and then the ACTI-SNACK brand in 2016, with his late wife Lorraine. His vision and dedication have undoubtedly built Kestrel Foods into one of the UK’s leading snacking businesses, recognised across the world for its premium and innovative ranges.

Over the last 24 years, Kestrel Foods has seen impressive and consistent annual sales growth, continuously adapting to changing markets, and pioneering new products, processes,and technology.

Michael’s foresight has led to continued investment in itsworld class manufacturing facility, which now employs 80 people at its headquarters in Portadown, Co. Armagh. Earlier this year Kestrel Foods announced a further £2.8 millioninvestment in its facilities to extend capability and to keep up with increasing demand. This will create a further 22 jobs over the next three years.

Michael’s commitment to doing business in the right way is well recognised by his industry peers, suppliers, and customers. He has a strong commitment to ethical trading and sustainable sourcing, dedicating much of his career to working with smallholder farms and organisations like Preda Fairtrade in the Philippines. This ensures fair prices, sustainable environmental practices, local education andempowers indigenous farmers through the sales of dried fruit and nuts.

He is a strong advocate of giving back to the community and over the years has supported numerous charities and sportingorganisations. He invests in Future Talent through the Kestrel Careers Programme as well as coaching new business start-ups and sponsoring the Ulster Grocer ‘Young Marketer of the Year’ award.

Michael’s entrepreneurial flair and business kudos has beenrecognised before. At a young age he was credited by the Prince’s Youth Business Trust, and in 2014 he was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of Year Awards. In 2019 Kestrel achieved Platinum status in the Deloitte Best Managed Companies.

Speaking about the award, Michael said: “I’m incredibly honoured to be on the MBE 2020 Queens Birthday List. It is a great privilege to work in such a dynamic industry, and I can credit much of the success to the local workforce who have an unrivalled loyalty, dedication, and work ethic. I’m incredibly proud of building a home-grown business that has cultivated a global consumer base – the award is the ultimate recognition of this.”

Distillery’s founder, Gareth Irvine, calls on industry peers to stay positive

 Co. Down-based spirits company, The Copeland Distillery, has today announced the growth of its spirits portfolio as it moves into its third category, rum. Its first two Irish rum releases, Smugglers’ Reserve and Copeland Overproof Rum, are now bottled and available to purchase across the UK and Ireland from today, October 7^th.

Inspired by smugglers of the coasts near its home in Donaghadee, the creative new rum releases are an expression of Copeland’s own resilience and resolve, following what has been a challenging time for the young Distillery, which opened its doors in August 2019.

Both variations of the rum have been created at The Copeland Distillery in Donaghadee, Co. Down, where the company already produces its whiskey and gin. Head distiller, William Stafford, and company founder, Gareth Irvine, collaborated on all elements of the distillation and fermentation, including sourcing a specially-selected rum from Barbados for the blending process.

While both distillates have been matured in a combination of American bourbon barrels and French Pinot Noir casks each has its own recognisable character and story.

Smugglers’ Reserve is inspired by clandestine smuggling activities that took place along the Copeland Islands throughout the 18^th and 19^th century and gives honour to the contrabandists that brought tastes of new worlds to Co. Down’s shores.

With fulfilling notes of warm, sweet spices and gingerbread, perfectly-paired with piquant flavours like banana coconut, this luxurious Irish Rum is the result of a clever marriage of Copeland’s heavy pot-still rum and its light rum along with a Barbados rum. A unique and exciting offering bottled at 40%, it is priced at £29.99 per 700ml and will be continuously available as part of the Distillery’s core range of gins.

Copeland Overproof Rum is inspired by the events of 14 August 1815, when the brig ‘Andrew Savage’, originally from Portaferry, landed home with fine rum from Belfast Bay in Antigua. It could be seen for days ahead of its landing with the newspaper reporting that it expected most of the cargo to safely land in Donaghadee’s coves and tunnels along the coastline for lucky folks to enjoy.

A sophisticated and skilful rum that relies on a double pot distillation over 10-14 days, Copeland’s Overproof Rum is bottled at 57.2% and boasts pleasantly familiar aromas such as corner shop ice-cream and candied orange. The drinker will enjoy a smooth and velvet-like experience of spiced honey, vanilla and dried fruit. A limited edition offering, with only 600 individually-numbered bottles available, it is priced at £44.99 per 700ml.

Co-founder of The Copeland Distillery, Gareth Irvine, said: “Rum is a spirit that we have always wanted to produce, so to introduce not one but two rums that we’re equally proud of is really exciting. It’s still a challenging time for the industry, for producers like us and for venues and patrons too and we want this launch to be a reminder to our peers that we will all find the solutions we need to overcome barriers, just like the brave and determined smugglers who inspired our rums.

“As cocktail culture continues to grow year-on-year, the rum category is primed for a huge comeback and has been experiencing growth over the last 12 months or so. However, it’s not just a case of releasing a rum and suddenly you’re part of the category’s growth. Rum is actually a very tricky liquid to get right, and we wanted our rum, particularly as one of very few Irish rums on the market to be distinctly different.

“Flavour can vary drastically with factors like the origins of your base ingredients, production-style and the ageing process all playing an important role, much like a whiskey. Given our experience within the whiskey category, and of course our head distiller’s keen palate, we we’re well-placed to enter the rum category.

“Our Overproof is a must-have for rum aficionados, especially as it is limited-edition, while our Smugglers’ Reserve is a stunning liquid that is robust enough for both at-home cocktail lovers and professional mixologists to have a lot of fun experimenting with, responsibly of course.”

For more information on The Copeland Distillery’s new rums, Smugglers Reserve and Copeland Overproof, visit copelanddistillery.com or @copelanddistillery on social media.

Northern Ireland’s Ninth Wave Irish Gin, produced at the Hinch Distillery in county Down, has become the ‘World’s Most Highly Awarded Gin’.

This is on the basis of the distinctive gin gaining the following awards:

Hinch Distillery, which produces Ninth Wave Gin, is the brainchild of well-known Northern Ireland entrepreneur Dr Terry Cross.

The 30,0000 sq ft Hinch Distillery, located between Belfast and Ballynahinch, will produce the Hinch Irish whiskey and Ninth Wave Irish Gin brands.

The distillery, which is due to officially open in November 2020, will span two floors, housing the whiskey and gin production, bottling line, storage facilities and offices. It will also include a visitor centre which is scheduled to open in 2021.

Ninth Wave, part of a growing production line at the £15 million Hinch Distillery, is a premium product that taps into Celtic heritage. It is the craft work of Belfast-born Head Distiller Aaron Flaherty and his team, who have a wealth of experience working for some of Ireland and the UK’s best-known spirit brands.

The ‘World’s Most Highly Awarded Gin 2020’ status will further raise the profile of Ninth Wave which is already exporting globally.

Mr Flaherty says: “Ninth Wave Gin is inspired by our fascination with Irish mythology, the mystical ‘Otherworld’ and its links to the sea which surrounds us. Our Irish gin has a bottle design, in ocean blue glass, incorporating the symbolism of the Celtic Triskellion(triple spiral) which adorns many ancient monuments throughout the island.

“We thought a beautiful gin deserved a beautiful bottle!I’d like to congratulate the whole team at Hinch for their contribution in the development of our gin’s award-winning recipe, and of course the industry experts whohave joined us on this journey,’ he adds.

The awards follow on from over a dozen other wins for Hinch Distillery in 2020 including Gold Medals for its Ninth Wave Gin brand at the World Gin Awards.

Mr Cross says: “The wins will help drive forward Hinch’sgoal to further expand its already international client base.”

“To date the response to both Hinch Whiskey and Ninth Wave Gin has been phenomenal with distributors having been signed up in over half the target countries including the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, USA, Japan, Russia, Poland, Czech Republic, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Italy, UK, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.”

Noisy Snacks, the award winning snack brand that engages all the senses, has secured a listing with Tesco in Northern Ireland.

Six products including Great Taste Award Winning Red Curry and Coconut Noisy Corn will be available across Tesco’s Northern Irish stores this month.

Jonathan McWhinney, Tesco, says; “We really want to offer customers great tasting innovative products. Noisy Snacks impressed us very much. Offering a flexitarian range with delicious satisfying snacks, plus a unique experiential USP creates real brand stand-out, and adds to the customer experience. We are very proud to be backing a Northern Irish developed product which we will believe has massive potential all over the UK.”

Noel Allen, founder of Noisy Snacks, adds; “We are delighted to be in Tesco who have been so forward thinking in recognising this experiential trend in snacking. Not only do consumers wants a delicious and satisfying snack, but are also crying out for exciting sensory experiences. Our snacks are developed to work on multiple levels to trigger an audio sensory meridian response (ASMR) to engage all of the senses to deliver a truly unique snacking experience.”​

With double the amount of flavouring as regular snacks (8g instead of 4g per pack) the snacks provide a noisy, explosive mouth sensation. The 45g fully recyclable pack must be shaken loudly before opening to wake the flavour inside. They are flexitarian with vegan options in the range, and a good source of protein. Tesco will stock three varieties:

Established in 2018, Noel Allen has 10 years’ experience in FMCG working for Coca Cola, Red Bull and 6 years working for Boost Drinks. Noisy Snacks taste delicious with unique flavour combinations to delight and engage with all of your senses. ​