Tourism NI has partnered with the national tourism bodies of England, Scotland and Wales to roll out a new UK-wide industry standard and consumer mark to provide reassurance to businesses, customers and communities that safe working guidelines in relation to COVID-19 have been adopted.

As the sector works towards reopening, the ‘We’re Good To Go’ industry standard and supporting mark allows businesses to sign-up and commit to implementing the relevant Government and public health guidance, including undertaking a COVID-19 risk assessment. Businesses can in turn use the licensed mark as part of their communications.

The free scheme is now open to tourism businesses following publication of official guidance by the Department for the Economy and Tourism NI this week.

Commenting on the initiative, John McGrillen, Tourism NI CEO said;

“The rolling out of a UK wide industry standard and consumer mark is good news for the many tourism businesses across Northern Ireland who are gearing up to reopen their doors in the coming weeks. They will be putting every possible measure in place to operate safely and provide reassurance to staff and customers alike that they have complied with official health guidance.”

“We are acutely aware of the difficulties faced as the tourism sector reopens and the challenges ahead as we rebuild, however we are confident that with the right measures in place and with ongoing support, the tourism industry in Northern Ireland can regain lost ground and return to growth.”

“We have been delighted to partner with the national tourism agencies in Wales, Scotland and England to create a common approach to tackling the pressures brought by the Covid-19 health crisis and to support the industry through recovery.”

To obtain the mark businesses must complete the registration process through the ‘We’re Good to Go’ online platform  www.goodtogoni.com and will go through a number of steps to verify they have put the necessary processes in place to re-open safely.

Businesses will then receive a certificate and the ‘We’re Good To Go’ mark for display in their premises and online.

Businesses across the UK will be agreeing to operate in accordance with their respective national guidance, including the social distancing and cleanliness protocols that must be in place.

In Northern Ireland, businesses should align with the ‘Working Safely During Covid-19 in the Visitor Economy’ guidance published this week, as well as the legislative regulations and restrictions set out by the NI Executive. A benefit of participating in the standard includes a notification system to alert businesses to any changes to the official guidance. A call-handling service will also provide registration support.

Accommodation, visitor attractions, restaurants and pubs, business conference and events venues and tour and coach operators are currently eligible to apply.

For further information on the standard visit: https://covid19.tourismni.com/goodtogo/

Finnebrogue Artisan in Downpatrick, a leader nitrite-free bacon and plant-based alternative products, has appointed Andrew Nethercott as its new managing director.

Mr Nethercott joins the company from Moy Park. He replaces Brian McMonagle, who left in March 2019. Mr Nethercott will take over the reins at Finnebrogue Artisan, which produces Naked Bacon, on 3 August. He is also chairman of Food NI.

He was business unit director for Moy Park’s prepared foods division and boasts more than 25 years’ experience at senior levels in food and drink businesses. Prior to working at Moy Park, he was UK sales director at Anheuser-Busch and commercial director at dairy co-op Dale Farm.

“I am thrilled Andrew has decided to join us at this exciting time for the business and I am looking forward to him joining me and the senior management team in leading Finnebrogue on to our next chapter,” explained Finnebrogue chairman and founder Denis Lynn.

“Andrew’s expertise and energy will help Finnebrogue seize the opportunities that lie before us,” Mr Lynn added.

His appointment ­follows a significant tranche of investment at the business over the past two years – including the opening of a new £3 million dedicated plant-based meat alternative factory.

“I’m looking forward to joining a business with such a clear and holistic mission,” Mr Nethercott said. “Finnebrogue’s mantra – to make food the best it can be without being bound by the way it’s always been done – exactly describes what I hope we will deliver in the years to come.”

 

Abernethy Butter, a UK and Ireland leader in handmade and hand rolled butters, is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its formation by artisan innovators Allison and Will Abernethy.

Based in rural Dromara, county Down, Abernethy Butter now counts the iconic London grocer Fortnum and Mason (F&M), The Ritz Hotel, also in London, celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and renowned food stylist Nigella Lawson among its high profile UK customers.

Other celebrity chefs in Britain such as James Martin and Marcus Wareing use the pure creamy butter. A host of major awards have also acclaimed the rich flavours of the company’s butters, all hand crafted by Will, originally a farmer, from fresh milk from grass-fed dairy cows.

The Abernethys, widely respected entrepreneurs, are understandably proud of all that has been achieved in the UK and on the island of Ireland over the period. “The years have really flown by so quickly,” Allison says. “I guess this is because we’ve enjoyed every minute creating the product, building the business and developing such prestigious customers for our range of handcrafted butters. It’s taken great dedication and enterprise over the years. There’s really no magic bullet for success in artisan food production and, as every small food producer knows, there’s no alternative for hard work,” she adds.

While the business is celebrating its 10th anniversary, the couple had been developing and shaping the idea for a number of years.

The innovation on which the business was founded continues to underpin its approach. The original butter has been joined by smoked, seaweed and sea salt, and black garlic flavours. The small business, in addition, produces a UK Great Taste award winning butter fudge.

Great Britain, Allison continues, accounted for around 60 percent of sales before the virus outbreak and subsequent lockdowns.  “The challenge facing us now is on recovering and then continuing to grow business there, in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland.

“Our sales to high-end restaurants and upmarket hotels were halted by the lockdowns in hospitality and many of the delis we also supplied were only open for limited periods,” adds Allison. “We appreciate greatly the tremendous support from delis here and further afield over the past decade and especially during the lockdown,” she says.

Allison describes the orders from Heston Blumenthal, chef/owner of the acclaimed Fat Duck restaurant in Maidenhead, Berkshire, and from famed F&M food hall in London’s Piccadilly as “game changers” in the early stages of the company’s development. “These orders really put our artisan butter on the map and raised our profile significantly in Britain,” she adds.

The butters have become such a success that F&M includes them in its globally renowned hampers and commissioned the Northern Ireland company to develop own label products for the store.

“We were approached by the F&M product development team o use our expertise and skills in creating three unique butter flavours for the store,” Allison explains. “We were thrilled to be invited to produce these as well as salted and non-salted butters for such a respected and successful brand.

“We’ve been doing business with F&M for many years now and have developed a tremendously important business relationship. As a result, F&M has become an immensely valued customer and a great company with which to do business.

The small business has experienced the same difficulties over doing business during the lockdown as others throughout the UK and Ireland. “It’s been a very difficult time,” Allison continues. “We had, of course, to cut back on all costs to ensure we are in a position to hit the ground running when business resumes.”

Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food is not being defeated by the restrictions imposed due to coronavirus. In normal times, the awards celebrate the loaf – hundreds of loaves would be delivered for assessment by a panel of esteemed judges. Instead, in a special edition for 2020, the Awards will be recognising the people behind the loaf, the bakers, millers, farmers and all others closely involved, and will be called the ‘Tiptree World Bread Awards Heroes with Brook Food’.

Caroline Kenyon, Founder of the Awards, said ‘In these hard times, the bread community has undertaken many wonderful initiatives to help us all get through. Whether delivering bread to the vulnerable, milling flour 24 hours a day, educating or giving out free sourdough starters for home bakers. The Awards want to shine a light on and celebrate this.’

Tiptree World Bread Awards Heroes with Brook Food launches on Tuesday 23 June 2020. Nominations for a Bread Hero will be submitted via the website. A nomination can be made by the nominee themselves or by a third party. The Awards are looking for stories that show the nominated Bread Hero’s impact on their community, their reach, how they may have innovated, their generosity of spirit and their care for the wellbeing of others.

There will be regional Bread Hero winners and from those regional winners will be drawn one Overall Winner of the title ‘Tiptree World Bread Awards Hero with Brook Food’. All the winners will be announced during an Online Awards Evening on Tuesday 13 October 2020.

Submit your Bread Heroes nomination for free here. Submissions close Sunday 23 August 2020.

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme offers £30,500 to farmers and food producers.

Countryside Services Ltd is continuing to manage the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme & encouragesnew applicants to email their Expression of Interest forms to agrifood@countrysideservices.com

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme offers support to small and micro businesses who wish to avail of funding interventions to help progress their new idea, new product, process or technology.  By joining together with others in their supply chain, they can see their ideas come to fruition with 50 days expert help from a Facilitator dedicated to the group, as well as an array of other measures to develop the skills of the group members.

Up to £30,500 of support measures are available to each group and includes Specialist Mentoring, Training, Business Tools, Study Tours and Co-operation Support.

Mandina Fulton from Countryside Services Ltd, who is managing the scheme on behalf of DAERA explains “We have active groups participating in the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme from a diverse range of producers – from artisan food businesses located in rural or coastal regions wishing to collectively market their goods – to farmers getting together to further a novel idea which will aid their supply of product to current or newmarkets.”

Some of the funding received includes group websites, logo design for use on banners and group promotional material, the provision of mentoring by a marketing specialist,as well as advice from crop scientists and agronomists.

Mandina continues “We would like to encourage new applicants to join the scheme even in these challenging times in which we find ourselves. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call to discuss any new project ideas you may have.”    

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme is open to producers in the Agricultural and Horticultural sectors, as well as the Food Tourism and Artisan sector.

For Expression of Interest Forms and further information contact:                  

Irish exiles in Britain and other lovers of good food have been snapping up original Irish bacon ketchup and smoked bacon jam from a small producer in Fermanagh.

Enniskillen-based Erne Larder Preserves, a Food NI member, has enjoyed a five-fold growth in sales of its Irish bacon products to established and new customers especially in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland over the past three months. The ketchup and jams are made from locally sourced dry cured bacon.

The artisan business, which is run by chef Declan O’Donoghue, has racked up significant sales from a website developed during the lockdown and also from a listing by the specialist Artisan Food Club (AFC) in Britain.

Mr O’Donoghue says: “The past three months have been extremely difficult because many of our customers in the hospitality sector have been closed and some of the leading delis and independent grocers which we also supply have been operating only limited hours.  Furthermore, the food markets which generated cash for us were also closed.

“What really made the difference for us was the investment in our website to sell our products and also the inclusion of our products, especially the Irish bacon jam and ketchup, on the successful AFC website. These were two game changers for my small company during what was a very tough time for us and many other smaller food processors here.  It’s been a tremendous relief to see some cash flowing again,” he adds.

Listing by AFC last year was the Fermanagh company’s first significant business in Britain. It has subsequently gained its first European sales, in Belgium. Erne Larder has also won business from Lidl Ireland and Aldi Ireland.

“Our complete range of products is now listed for delis and smaller retailers in Britain especially our Irish bacon ketchup, the only product of its type being produced in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic,” adds Mr O’Donoghue.

He’s looking forward to the reopening of bars, hotels, cafes and restaurants with the lifting of the lockdown and grocery stores getting back to full working hours. “It’s been a long haul and it will take time to recover business halted by the lockdown,” he adds.

He established Erne Larder Preserves in 2016 to develop a range of sauces and jams based on his own experiences as a chef in hotel and restaurant kitchens over many years. His first product was the unique Irish bacon jam.

All Erne Larder products jams are based on recipes created by Mr O’Donoghue.