Noisy Nuts, the Co Down-based specialist in flavoured peanuts to accompany craft beers, has won business with Applegreen, the top Irish forecourt retailer.

The enterprising business, owned and managed by Noel Allen, an experienced marketer, is now supplying a complete portfolio of snacks to Applegreen stores throughout Northern Ireland.

The company’s latest deal resulted from its participation at the recent RUAS show at Balmoral Park in the Food NI Food Pavilion. Mr Allen was introduced to an Applegreen buyer during the show.

Noisy Nuts has also participated in a series of marketing initiatives in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland organised by Food NI in conjunction with Invest NI.

Mr Allen sees the business with Applegreen as a further strengthening of the company’s presence in the local market and providing an opportunity to expand into the retailer’s large network of stores in the Republic.

“Applegreen is an immensely important player in the forecourt retail scene on the island of Ireland. Winning business in Northern Ireland gives us the opportunity to develop a successful relationship that could lead to other business. We’ll be supporting the listing with promotional activities with Applegreen in Northern Ireland,” he adds.

Noisy Nuts has developed a unique range of peanut snacks with flavourings in self- seasoning foil sachets in a handy cardboard tub. Each sachet features different flavours. Noise results when the seasoning is sprinkled over the peanuts and the tub shaken to ensure the distinctively rich flavouring coats all the nuts – hence Noisy Nuts.

The seasonings, he has developed, are designed to accentuate the characteristics of individual craft beers in particular.

The company, in addition, has seen business grow strongly in Britain from its participation in consumer and trade events particularly for craft beer enthusiasts.

The snacks have been developed to be paired with craft beers, the India Pale Ales, lagers and stouts. I then had to find a way to deliver the seasonings within an overall pack of peanuts.

He has developed a range of snack tubs of peanuts which are available with different self-seasoning sachets in flavours such as pickled onion, chilli and lime, chilli beef and Thai sweet chilli.

“Consumers can pour the whole seasoning sachet in and shake the tub giving a strong flavour or season as they wish to fit with their beer drinking taste. Either way makes a noise!” he continues.

Another feature of the new snack range is a recommendation with each flavour on the type of beer it suits best.

 Finnebrogue Artisan in Northern Ireland has secured a major new national supply contract with Asda to produce three new frozen sausage lines for the retailer’s Extra Special range.

 The new premium sausages, Pork, Cumberland and Red Onion, which are also gluten free, are exclusive to Asda and will be available in over 330 stores across the UK.  Finnebrogue Artisan is based in Downpatrick, Co Down.

 The deal builds upon Asda and Finnebrogue Artisan’s existing relationship, which has seen the family business supply Extra Special sausages to Asda since 2014 – as well as producing a range of Extra Special accompaniments including cocktail sausages, stuffing and the showstopping ‘Ultimate Pig in Blanket’ for Christmas 2018.

 John Cowen, Finnebroque Artisan’s account manager for Asda explains: “We’re thrilled to continue our relationship with Asda with our frozen sausage range. The new lines are sold in re-sealable freezer bags, which answers increasing consumer demand for convenient premium produce – and of course means less wastage – as you don’t need to defrost more than you need. It really is a milestone for the business, as it’s the first time we have produced our award-winning range of sausages in a convenient frozen format.

 “We pride ourselves on innovation and we’re confident our team of experts have developed three new varieties Asda customers will love, from traditional pork to Cumberland and caramelised red onion – something for everyone – and not just during BBQ season, but all year round.”

 Emma Swan, Asda’s Buying Manager for NI Local added: “At Asda we work alongside our suppliers to create innovative, affordable, delicious and high-quality products – and our work with Finnebrogue on the Extra Special frozen range is no exception. Working closely with the team at Finnebrogue we’re very proud to be the first retailer to offer a premium range of frozen sausages – and with our summer weather set to remain unpredictable, it’s come at the perfect time!”

 Asda’s new range of Extra Special frozen sausages are available in stores now.

Two Northern Ireland regions have been shortlisted by The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) for Foodie Destinations 2019, sponsored by FBD Insurance.

The two enterprising local regions are Mid and East Antrim Borough and Taste Causeway/Causeway Coast and Glens.

Foodie Destinations is an initiative run by the Restaurants Association of Ireland, that aims to find the ultimate foodie destination in Ireland. It celebrates Ireland’s unique and wonderful food offerings and encourages local food tourism initiatives across the country.

They are among nine destinations across the island of Ireland shortlisted by RAI for the 2019 awards. Others include Food Coast Donegal, Tralee and Galway.

Members of the public can vote for their favourite 2019 finalist at www.foodiedestinations.ie.  Voting opens on Wednesday, 24 July and closes on Thursday, 20 August.

The winner of Foodie Destinations 2019 will be announced at the end of August.

RAI Chief executive Adrian Cummins said the organisation was delighted with the broad range of entries received this year. “Ireland has a diverse food landscape and we can’t wait to see the unique contributions that the Foodie Destinations 2019 Finalists are making,” he added.

 

Skippers and vessel owners in Northern Ireland are being asked to take part in a major research project to better understand the UK’s fishing fleet and its economic performance.

Researchers from Seafish, the public body that supports the £10bn UK seafood industry, will be visiting local ports from 29 July to 4 August to talk to skippers and owners of fishing vessels to collect data on the financial and operational performance of vessels.

The results of the annual survey play a vital role in painting a picture of the UK fishing fleet, its economic performance and the challenges it faces as it prepares for life outside of the EU.

Commenting on the survey, Barrie Deas, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), said: “I would encourage every skipper and vessel owner to assist Seafish by taking part in the UK fleet survey. By sparing the small amount of time required to take part, you will be helping to create the most accurate picture possible of the UK fishing fleet, across boats of all sizes and the entire country.”

The survey interviews should take no longer than 15 minutes for skippers and vessel owners to complete and all responses are treated as confidential, with no figures from any individual vessel revealed in any outputs.

The full report from the 2018 UK fleet survey is expected to be published in the next few weeks, but provisional figures released earlier in the year suggested a solid year for the fleet. Annual fishing revenues stood at £978 million, a slight increase on the previous year, as a 4.8 percent decrease in the volume of fish landed was mitigated by a 5.3 percent increase on the average price per tonne landed. The rising price of fuel was considered to be a particular challenge, with total spend on fuel estimated to be 20 percent higher than in 2017.

Steve Lawrence, Economics Project Manager at Seafish, said: “Considering the potential changes, challenges and opportunities on the horizon, it has never been more important for us to produce an accurate picture of the UK’s fishing fleet and the pressures it faces.

“The UK fleet survey is the major piece of research into the health of the sector touching on both the economics of those that make a living from it and its social impact on communities built around it. The results are always poured over by industry, as well as those looking to understand how management measures and policies play out practically.

“We spoke to around 400 skippers and vessel owners last year and we hope to build on those numbers as well as ensuring representation from all sectors of the fleet across every type of vessel and throughout the whole of the UK.”

Vessel owners who take part can request a free financial performance benchmark report, which provides an indication of how well their vessel is performing compared to similar vessels and can help to inform business and financial decisions. Reports from previous years are available on the Seafish website as is Quay Issues, the magazine which takes a deeper dive into the stories behind the numbers and explores examples of innovative ways to make the industry more profitable, efficient, safe and sustainable.

Food NI board member Peter Hannan, founder and managing director of multi-award winning Hannan Meats in Moira, has been named among the 20 Icons of the Industry by the Speciality Fine Food Fair, Speciality Food magazine and English Heritage. He is the only Northern Ireland food entrepreneur on the prestigious list.

The three organisations have partnered up to celebrate 20 years of the Speciality and Fine Food Fair in London and the biggest icons in food and drink.

Peter Hannan is lauded as being responsible for “Britain’s finest steak”. The citation continues: “Peter has well and truly put Northern Ireland on the fine food map through his iconic business, Hannan Meats, giving lovers of incredible quality meat across the UK access to some of the very best.

“He is driven, he says, by “a true desire to produce great food, and to feed people well” and relishes “being a member of a great team, who share that passion and continuously strive to make good things even better.”

The 20 icons were named at a recent event in London by Speciality and Fine Food Fair, held every September at Olympia in London, Speciality Food magazine and English Heritage

The organisers said: “While every industry has its icons, the fine food and drink industry can boast some of the most passionate of them all.

“Some of them are driven by a mission – to change the face of food and drink, to promote sustainability or to secure a positive future for the evolving sector – while some are driven simply by a love of what they do.”

The list is based on the views of people throughout the industry “eager to see their icons receive the recognition they deserve”.

Each of the icons will be celebrated at Speciality and Fine Food Fair, taking place at Olympia London on 1st-3rd September. Speciality and Fine Food Fair coincides with the final stage of the annual Great Taste Awards, a competition in which Hannan Meats has won the Supreme Champion title twice and has more gold stars than any other food business in the UK.

Other icons listed include Bob Farrand, chairman of the Guild of Fine Food and founder of the Great Taste Awards, Paul Hargreaves, managing of Cotswold Fayre, Patrick Holden, founder of The Sustainable Food Trust, Bruce Langlands, director of food at Selfridges, John Shepherd, chief executive of Partridges, Fiona Richmond of Scotland Food and Drink, Guy Tullberg of Tracklements and Ros Windsor of Paxton and Whitfield.

Dale Farm, the largest UK farmer-owned dairy cooperative, has boosted its cheese range with the addition of cheddar cheese in a new distinctive rectangular format, Dromona Cracker.

Designed to fit perfectly on a cracker, Dromona Cracker was created to suit consumers’ busy lifestyles and increasing demands for convenience.

Speaking about the new product launch, Darren Hughes, Senior National Account Manager, Dale Farm said:

“At Dale Farm, we are dedicated to crafting only the finest cheeses, produced locally at our world-class cheese plant in Cookstown. Our newest addition to the range, Dromona Cracker, with its innovative new format, is conveniently packaged for cracker-sized slicing without any hassle.

“Dromona Cracker has already hit supermarket shelves across the country and can already be found in a wide range of supermarkets and convenience stores, making it easy to enjoy the taste of high-quality cheddar every day.”

Having invested over £20M into its cheese production facilities in recent years, Dale Farm produces 45,000 tonnes of Cheddar per annum. The company is renowned for its award-winning cheeses.

“We use only the freshest, highest quality milk sourced from our 1,300 farmer-owners. The skill and craftsmanship of our cheesemakers and graders helps us to create our distinctive Dromona flavour consistently across each range.”

The launch of Dromona Cracker will be supported through the brand’s ‘Great Food Moments’ campaign, showcasing its cheese products as inspiring and wholesome ingredients to elevate every dish.  For more information visit: https://www.dromonamakesit.com/range/

Dromona Cracker 200g cheddar cheese is available in Tesco, Spar, SuperValu, Centra, CostCutter and Nisa stores.