One of Northern Ireland’s newest distilleries – Íon – based in the Tyrone countryside has won a highly impressive double honour at one of the world’s premier spirits competitions.

Winning Gold in the “Super Premium” category for two products; the company’s Curious Citrus Gin and Whiskey Cask Spiced Rum, at the first time of trying is a fantastic achievement for the distillery, which has been trading for little over 9 months.

The Spirits Business – Global Masters – is one of the world’s premier blind tasting competitions aimed at finding and rewarding the finest spirits from across the world.

Judged in London and assessed by a panel of leading industry figures each product was evaluated on nose, palate, appearance and overall balance. Only spirits receiving over 80 points from a possible 100 from each judge was awarded a coveted Gold medal.

Commenting on the awards head distiller Darren Nugent said: “This is a marvellous endorsement of the quality and outstanding flavours of our unique Whiskey Cask Spiced rum and Curiously Citrus gin.

“It’s also a tremendous boost for a distillery which has been in business for such a short time and will be of enormous benefit as we expand our marketing activities in export markets,” he adds.

His interest in rum is based on his passion for Cuba, especially Havana, the Caribbean island’s historic and quirky capital. 

“All our spirits are distilled on-site in Carrickmore. They are all made entirely from scratch using completely traceable ingredients,” he continues.

He has three stainless steel and copper stills and associated condensing columns in the distillery. “I opted to invest in three separate stills for the rum, gin and vodka because I wanted to focus on the purity of each spirit and not try to produce all of them on one. This is also why we’ve chosen the ‘Purity of Spirit’ strapline for the range of spirits and have a dedicated still for each separate product.”

Each spirit is handcrafted in small batches using fresh water from the distillery’s own artesian well and are then filtered over volcanic rocks found in the depths around the distillery.

“Using volcanic rocks reflects our commitment to the locality. Carrickmore – An Charraig Mhór  – is the Irish for big rock and is partly built on ancient rock formations dating back millions of years,” Darren adds.

“The rum is distilled in a purpose built Carribean-style ‘doubler’ still which distils the spirit twice in one run. Our focus on authenticity is carried forward in our use of rum yeasts. Our first rum is a spirit aged in bourbon barrels and Scotch Casks and feature a range of spices from across the world to produce a spiced rum that’s whiskey casked and has a range of rich and deeply distinctive flavours and taste.

“The gin is made from a wheat base spirit for smoothness with the infusion of the finest botanicals sourced from around the world,” he adds.

The Luxury Masters aims to reward those brands in the super-premium and ultra-premium sectors.

Lacada Brewery Limited, a co-operative business with almost 290 members, has grown from strength to strength since it first began trading in October 2015. Four years on, it has established itself as one of Northern Ireland’s leading breweries, winning several awards along the way, including Best New Product in the 2017 Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards, and a coveted 3 Stars in the 2018 Great Taste Awards.

The brewery, situated in the centre of Portrush, currently employs 8 people and distributes its own products. Northern Ireland enjoys the lion’s share, although some has been exported to England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Denmark.

It is seeking to raise £250,000 through new investment to realise an ambitious expansion plan, expected to take up to 3 years to fully complete.

Chairman, Director, and Head Brewer, Laurie Davies outlined the first phase in the expansion, stating “We’re initially seeking to upgrade and improve our equipment. We have reached the stage where sales have outgrown our initial capacity. This investment will see the brewery capable of doubling production, allowing us to confidently enter new markets, and with improved equipment, develop new products”.

According to the share offer document, Phases 2 and 3 would see the brewery potentially moving to its own bespoke premises with potential to add a tap room and restaurant

Laurie went on to say: “When we first set up and had the idea to begin a co-operative, it was because we wanted to bring something to the community. We wanted to leave a legacy. Lacada has become much more than just a Brewery, it’s a brand. It employs local people. We have tourists from all over the world visiting the Brewery. We established the Portrush Beer Festival, which is now in its 4th year and an attraction in its own right, and we would like to increase that tourism offering in the future.”

The share offer is open to everyone. The minimum amount of investment is set at £100 and the maximum at £20,000. Shares within the co-operative cannot be transferred and any potential investor will not be able to withdraw their investment for 3 years. Whilst community shares can’t be withdrawn for any higher than their purchase value, investors could see dividends in the future if the membership so decides.

Rodger Doherty, one of the co-operative’s initial investors and now Director and Company Secretary, said: “Five years ago, I saw an article in my local newspaper about a Brewery seeking investment, and on a whim I thought, ‘Why not?’. Five years later here I am Company Secretary. I never thought I would get any benefits from investing, but Lacada is not just a Brewery. Due to its co-operative nature it is a family.  Over the last 4 years I have learnt new skills, I have met many people both within and outside of the co-operative, people I now class as friends.”

If you want to find out more about investing in Lacada Brewery then visit their website, www.lacadabrewery.com.

Holmes Bakery, which is based in Portadown, has won business with Shoprite, the Isle of Man’s retail leader, for a range of home baked products.

Holmes is supplying 10 lines to Shoprite, which has nine supermarkets specialising in food throughout the island since 1972.

It’s a family business which has won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann, the Irish National Food and Drink awards for its handcrafted products such as butter shortbread and flakemeal biscuits.

Among the 10 lines supplied to Shoprite are almond slices, caramel fingers and salted caramel pecan, all of which are hand baked at the Northern Ireland company’s modern bakery.

Gillian Castles, sales manager for Holmes Bakery, commenting on the latest business won outside Northern Ireland, says: “The business, our first with Shoprite, is the result of a direct approach to see if they’d be interested in listing our products.

“There was a positive response to us for samples which we were delighted to supply for taste testing. They were impressed by the quality and above all the home baked tastes from the products.

“I was delighted when an order for 10 lines subsequently followed. They’ve been in the stores for a number of weeks and are selling well. With repeat orders following soon after on a regular base.

“We look forward to developing a close relationship with this important and progressive retailer and we have been in discussions for additional seasonal listings for the stores.” adds Mrs Castles.

Holmes has been baking a comprehensive range of biscuits, traditional Northern Irish traybakes and seasonal products since 1937. 

The company, which has been assisted by Invest NI to develop the business and grow sales outside Northern Ireland, already supplies leading retailers including Spar, Asda, Ocado, Applegreen, various independent retailers and delis in Northern Ireland, Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland over many years.

 Mourne Dew Distillery has won a gold medal in the Irish Gin Awards for its Rostrevor Ruby Gin.

Based in Warrenpoint in Co Down, Mourne Dew Distillery launched its first gins in 2018. Rostrevor Ruby Red Gin (ABV 40%) is infused with strawberry, raspberry, mint and rose petals. It has a vibrant red colour and floral notes.

Mourne Dew’s Rostrevor Ruby won gold in the Speciality Gin of the Year category. Symphonia Number 2 Apple Gin from Benburb also won bronze in this section.

Master distiller Donal Farrell says: “We’re delighted that the judges know what our loyal customers already know: that our locally made Mourne gins are up there with the best in the world!”

Inspired by their surroundings, the Mourne Dew gins have captured the very essence of the Mournes; employing the help of an ethnobotanist, who scours the mountains, foraging local edible botanicals. This has allowed them to build up a library of very special tinctures using a low temperature, vacuum distillation process to gently extract the flavours from the delicate flora.

The distillery hand produces everything on site; from distillation and bottling to labelling and packaging. The label artwork is designed by the well-known, Irish artist Kathyrn Callaghan. The logo takes its inspiration from Bronze Age Gold Lunulas (neck collars) which are believed to have been made using gold from the Mourne Mountains. 

The Irish Gin Awards showcase and celebrate the quality and flavours of the island’s distilleries.

Leading catering and facilities management company, Mount Charles has won an £9m catering and hospitality services contract with Griffith College, Dublin.

The deal, worth £1.25m per annum, will see the family run firm deliver diverse foodservices at Griffith College Dublin’s main seven acre campus, in the capital.

Mount Charles will provide catering, food retail and hospitality services to 5,000 students and staff situated in their main Dublin campus during the academic year, and also a significant summer school business too.

Established over 45 years ago, Griffith College offers over 170 programmes which are internationally recognised at both postgraduate and undergraduate degree level, complemented by a wide range of professional, short term and corporate training educational solutions.

Mount Charles has invested £180,000 in refurbishing and transforming the dining facilities across the college’s main estate. Internationally inspired menus, innovative retail brands and casual dining offers have transformed the catering provision, which will be managed by a dedicated culinary team.

Trevor Annon, Chairman and Founder of Mount Charles said the new contract win was testament to the company’s expertise in providing “healthy, fresh and affordable food in modern facilities with a professional service, that meets the diverse needs of both the student body and university staff.

“Our success has been down to the relationship building strategy and the market research our Dublin based senior management team has carried out on student and staff preferences, to deliver the exciting, locally sourced, value for money food offers that they want,” he said.

Ronan Fenelon, Director of Griffith College Dublin said: “We are delighted to have awarded our campus wide catering contract to Mount Charles – our feedback from our clients has been excellent.”

This latest contract win comes a year after Mount Charles announced £8m in major contracts wins with the Public Appointments Service, Ordinance Survey Ireland, Abbey Theatre, National Aquatic Centre and Custom House in Dublin.