Carol’s Stock Market, a leading producer of natural bone broths, stocks and gravies is creating two new jobs in Derry as part of a significant expansion in response to a rapid growth in sales outside Northern Ireland.

The expansion of the business, founded and run by Carol Banahan, will see employment grow to five to enable the artisan enterprise to meet the growth in demand for its existing natural products and two new ones developed in association with celebrity chef Paula McIntyre. The two new products will be unveiled shortly.

Mrs Banahan, who established the company in 2016 on the back of a passion for cooking, explains: “Demand for the natural products is greater now than ever especially from customers online.

“We’ve seen online sales growing to 45 percent growth from 20 percent in the past year particularly from digital customers in key growth markets for us such as Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland. The coronavirus pandemic has meant more people are cooking at home and searching for natural and healthy ingredients to enhance and add flavour and wholesomeness to their meals,” adds Mrs Banahan. “There is a strong and growing trend for products that help to keep your immune system healthy and natural broths fit very well into this growing trend.”

The switch to a state-of-the-art manufacturing unit, developed to Mrs Banahan’s specifications, gives the business the scope required to grow sales and exports even faster.

“Our website has become an immensely important element in our business and it’s one we will continue to invest in over both long and short terms,” she continues.

The company has won a series of UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann Irish Food Awards for her innovative and healthy products which were initially developed with advice and practical support from the Foodovation Centre at the North West Regional College in Derry.

Originally from Dublin, Mrs Banahan subsequently moved to Canada where I spent 25 years working in the financial sector as a stock trader on the Canadian stock market.

She developed s love of natural bone stock, gravies and broth during her time in Canada  “When I returned home to Ireland with my husband, I couldn’t believe that nobody was selling natural stock the way they did in Canada,” she adds. This encouraged to set up her small business to manufacture the products by hand. Ingredients are all sourced from other Irish producers.

Ireland’s Orchard County’s award-winning food and drink event confirmed for a September return

Northern Ireland’s best-loved celebration of local food and drink is officially back on the menu this autumn as Armagh’s Food & Cider weekend safely returns next month with an exciting new line-up of events including cider tastings, orchard tours and grand farm-to-fork treats.

Famed the world over for its Armagh Bramley apples, top class cider and its local quality cuisine, the region’s award-winning food and drink experience will share its proud heritage with locals and visitors alike from Thursday 24^th until Sunday 27^th September.

Food and drink lovers this year are invited to enjoy more than 20 pre-bookable events to celebrate Armagh’s unrivalled Food Heartland status and the warmth of its welcome in the ultimate weekend of culinary indulgence.

Already six years old, this annual weekend in one of this Island’s top foodie destinations and provides a perfect pairing of gastronomic delights and cidery experiences that will have you coming back for more.

This special gourmet weekend is led from the front by some of the area’s best local chefs, including Ireland’s Hotel Head Chef of the Year, John Whyte, from Armagh City Hotel, and Gareth Reid from 4 Vicars Catering, Simon Dougan, Yellow Door Deli, Joyce Brownless, Blackwell House and Fiona and Rory Chapman from On the Hoof as well as a legion of local food producers who have worked creatively together to produce a unique menu of food events that combine tradition and contemporary taste.

Weekend highlights include tours of Armagh’s famed apple orchards accompanied by exclusive tastings and talks with global cider expert and author Gabe Cook and a scrumptious five-course feast curated by Gareth Reid from 4 Vicars’ Catering at the stunning Crannagael House.

Lord Mayor of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Kevin Savage, said:

“Enriched by a beautiful landscape and a welcome that will warm your heart, Armagh is the perfect location to celebrate this year’s harvest and the quality, heritage and experience we have producing the best food and drink available anywhere in the world. 

Developed with everyone’s safety in mind, this year’s special series of events rightly commends our proud past and our present culinary successes and I’m delighted that this award-winning event is back on the menu this year so that more people can enjoy our local provenance, meet the people behind it and share many memorable stories for years to come.”

Supported by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, this year’s weekend includes many of the area’s leading visitor venues including Blackwell House, Long Meadow Cider Company, Armagh Cider Company, FE McWilliam Gallery & Studio, Elmfield Estate, Crannagael House, Armagh City Hotel, Navan Centre & Fort, The Vault and Groucho’s on the Square.

There is also plenty to entertain younger family members too, including a lunch inspired by the Celts at Navan Centre & Fort and a foraging event at Oxford Island to seek out wild and tasty ingredients. From Armagh City to Banbridge, Scarva and Portadown to Markethill and Richhill, there are plenty of tasty events to get your teeth into.

Armagh Food & Cider Weekend carries the accredited ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard developed by VisitEngland in partnership with Tourism Northern Ireland, which means all events fully adhere to government and public health guidance.

To see the full programme of events and to book your place at these unmissable events, visitwww.visitarmagh.com/foodandcider.

Economy Minister Diane Dodds has launched Tourism NI’s new programme to provide financial assistance to help support tourism providers in creating experiences that reflect the new Northern Ireland Embrace A Giant Spirit experience brand and stimulate demand for local tourism.

With capital grants up to £200,000, the programme will help tourism experience providers develop new and enhanced tourism offerings that will support recovery and growth. 

The programme will also allow for up to 80% funding for private/voluntary sector organisations and up to 50% for public sector towards eligible costs of implementing these enhancements. The maximum amount of grant funding available under this programme for any one project is £200,000.  

Commenting on the new programme, Economy Minister Diane Dodds said:“Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful places on earth, it offers experiences that live long in the memory and its people are among the most welcoming around. Covid-19 does not, and will not, change these facts.

“This programme will help our tourism sector capitalise on these essential assets. It will connect more providers with the customers they need and give more tourists the opportunity to enjoy the Northern Ireland experience. I encourage all forward-thinking, innovative providers to consider applying.”

Markets & Product Experiences Development Officer at Tourism NI, Brian Connolly, said: “The launch of this new Experience Development Programme comes at a critical period for the survival and recovery of many tourism businesses across Northern Ireland. The programme will help tourism providers develop new and attractive experiences that excite visitors to explore all that Northern Ireland has to offer. These experiences will also be in line with the new Northern Ireland Embrace A Giant Spirit experience brand.”

“We welcome application proposals that bring new and innovative ways to deliver business safely during the pandemic, enhance the visitor experience, support demand and increase consumer confidence. Covid-19 has had a profound impact on the tourism sector, and through this new programme we want to support tourism experience providers in their journey to recovery.”

The programme will focus on attractions and other experience providers.

For full details of eligibility criteria and information on how to apply for the programme, please visit tourismni.com/capitalfunding 

 Closing date for applications is 25^thSeptember at 3pm.

An innovative approach to barbequing has resulted in another national supply deal between Downpatrick-based Finnebrogue Artisan and Asda – building on the success of the relationship which started in 2014.

The new contract will see Finnebrogue supply the retailer’s Extra Special BBQ Chilli Pork Sausage Ladder to 335 stores across the UK.

The highly novel concept, a first for the supermarket sector, combines three of the most popular pork sausage flavours, skewered or ‘laddered’ together, enabling it to be cooked on the BBQ and then divided into four individual slices.

Developed in direct response to growing demand for traditional BBQ alternatives, each sausage ladder contains three chilli inspired flavour combinations – Sweet Chilli, Three Chilli and Carolina Reaper Chilli (the hottest chilli pepper in the world).

Worth over £700k to Finnebrogue, the contract reflects the success of its working partnership with Asda and builds on a succession of national supply deals including 10 Extra Special Christmas lines, which the artisan food company delivered to almost 600 stores last December.

In January 2020, Finnebrogue’s investment in product development also saw the business secure a major deal to supply four new meat-free lines to Asda as part of the supermarket’s own-label plant-based range.

John Cowen, Snr National Account Manager for Finnebrogue said: “Our  innovation-led approach keeps us at the forefront in terms of the creation of new lines, and this is reflected in the range and scope of products which we now supply to Asda. We continue to work closely with the team there, developing ranges – such as the sausage ladder – which meet consumer demand for quality, flavour and sustainability.”

Emma Swan, Asda Buying Manager Northern Ireland added:

“It’s great to see how our partnership with Finnebrogue continues to grow – enabling us to respond to the ever-evolving needs of our customers across the UK and consolidating our ongoing commitment to NI’s agri-food sector.

“There has been a really positive response to our Extra Special BBQ Sausage Ladder which also speaks volumes for the place of innovation, quality and taste in food production today.”

A new post-graduate Masters course in food design and innovation launching at Ulster University in September and aimed at food sector corporate professionals seeking to exploit business opportunities in the food and drink industry has unexpectedly struck a chord with chefs and independent restaurant owners.

Course Director Dr Lynsey Hollywood says the course was specifically developed to up-skill food industry professionals, entrepreneurs and artisan producers alike, but the new circumstances created by the pandemic have opened new possibilities for restaurateurs and small food producers keen to diversify.

“We have been contacted about the course by restaurant owners and chefs who are creating new opportunities by expanding their take-away activities into products like meal boxes and developing their   potential to create high-end products such as baked goods, jams and home brews for retail sales,” says Dr Hollywood. “They are keen to hone up and broaden their skills by moving into a space traditionally filled by larger agri-food sector corporates”.

“Whereas food design and innovation has until now been the domain of corporate food service and retailers particularly in the prepared meals sector, Northern Ireland’s restaurant, artisanal and independent food business sector has had to adopt new survival techniques and broaden their offer, recognising the need to develop additional business skills.”

The two-year, part-time course allows people to continue their day-to-day professional life, and includes a variety of assessment methods used to provide the student with valuable feedback on their progress and to explore their ability to be creative using different tools and techniques including, professional conversations, a live design project, videography, information audits, sensory trials, presentations and reports”.

“What’s really exciting about this course is the opportunity to access our cutting-edge facilities like our new Consumer Insight Lab which hosts the only Virtual Reality convenience store on the island of Ireland to explore and understand consumer behaviour. Also, our Big Data Hub utilises market intelligence data to provide detailed shopper insight to help companies identify new product development opportunities. In addition, our well-established Food and Consumer Sensory Testing Suite, managed by Dr Amy Burns, hasan award-winning reputation for its work in the area of sensory testing and product development”, says Dr Hollywood.

Teaching is delivered primarily through virtual and class-based lectures, with presentations from the Food and Drink Business Development Centre staff and industry professionals. The course starts 28th Septemberand each module is delivered by block teaching (threedays), typically from 9.30am – 5pm.

For more information Dr Lynsey Hollywood will be hosting a Webinar with Industry thought-leader Jack Hamilton (Chief Operating Officer, Mash Direct) discussing The Food Industry: Innovation in a Crisison Tuesday 1st Sept at 7pm – 8pm. You can sign up for the webinar via Ulster University Postgraduate page:https://www.ulster.ac.uk/study/postgraduate – under the MSc Food Design and Innovation programme.

For further information: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/courses/202021/food-design-and-innovation-21314#about