RubyBlue, Northern Ireland’s multi award winning producer of fruit infused liqueurs and potato vodka, has won the ‘Best Spiced Liqueur’ in the prestigious World Liqueur Awards 2019.

The highly influential award was for RubyBlue Chilli Pepper Liqueur (17%ABV), produced by Hughes Craft Distillery in Moira, county Armagh. Hughes has been distilling and exporting fruit liqueurs worldwide since 2010 and has won a series of awards for quality and outstanding flavours. The business is owned and run by husband and wife team Stuart and Barbara Hughes.

Commercial director of Hughes Craft Distillery, commenting on the award for Ruby Blue Chilli Pepper, says: “We are thrilled to have won this hugely significant award in such an important global competition. The award will heighten awareness particularly among mixologists seeking to create spicy and warming cocktails.

“The liqueur is made with fresh chilli peppers for a fiery infusion and seductive sweetness that’s ideal for adding a spicy touch to a range of cocktails and desserts. It’s also delicious in hot chocolate,” adds Mrs Hughes.

The World Liqueur Awards are the global awards selecting the very best in all the international recognised styles, award and promote the world’s best liqueurs to consumers and trade across the globe.

Chilli Pepper is part of a four-strong range of infused grain spirits distilled by the company. The others are Wild Blueberry, Blackcurrant and Cranberry. In addition to these spirits the company also produces RubyBlue Potato Vodka and RubyBlue Whiskey Cask Aged Vodka.

The distillery operates the successful The Stillhouse gastro pub in Moira and also Northern Ireland’s gin school. It has plans to open a unique liquid deli on the premises. The family business was recently commended by Tourism NI for its ‘Authentic Food and Drink Experience. The StillHouse has been named ‘Pub of the Year’ in Northern Ireland.

The original source of water for Matt D’Arcy Whiskey has been rediscovered in Newry city centre. The discovery was made after local historian and owner of Matthew D’Arcy & Company, Michael McKeown, found a map showing the site of a well on the property which had been in use as a distillery since the early 1780s. Historical documents show that a young Matthew D’Arcy commenced his business there in 1817.

That same location is now undergoing a significant regeneration project to the tune of £7.3 million after successful planning permission last year. The company is a member of Food NI.

After the employment of ancient diving techniques, a strong and plentiful flow of clear pure water has been tapped within feet of the original well.

The new Matthew D’Arcy & Company set up will boast a Whiskey Distillery, Bar, Restaurant and Visitor’s Centre in Newry city centre. It is expected to be a game changer for the hospitality sector in this part of the island of Ireland and will form an important component of the rapidly growing interest in whiskey tourism on both sides of the border.

Latest statistics show that consumption of Irish whiskey in the international marketplace is increasing year on year, with US sales alone showing a near 14 percent increase on the previous twelve months.

Andrew Cowan, chief executive of Matthew D’Arcy & Company said: “This is a wonderful discovery which connects the rich history of the Matt D’Arcy whiskey company to its future. To be able to cap this source of water so close to the same water used more than two centuries ago means that we will capture the flavour profile which made this whiskey so highly prized so long ago.”

“The provenance of the water sourced for whiskey distillation is of paramount importance and to say that the water we will use in the future production of our whiskey comes directly from our site really is something.”

“The entire 14,000 square foot regeneration project is moving forward at a strong pace and we hope to be opening the doors in mid-2020. Prior to that we will be bringing forward our whiskies that will focus on the super-premium market.”

Michael McKeown, owner and investor of D’Arcy’s Whiskey, said: “Through all the historical research we have carried out so far, we knew that there was a water source located on the property. I personally trekked the Derrybeg river from Monaghan Street to its source on the Camlough Mountain. It is obvious that it was not powerful enough to feed the scale of production that once was achieved in this distillery. Finding a well on an old map, we drafted in water diviners, expert hydrologists and drilling contractors to investigate. We then
concentrated on a defined area and soon drew up pure, fresh clean water from metres below the surface.”

“It was like a scene in a movie. There was the noise of the drill and then a few moments of silence before the water came gushing out of the ground. We will harness this fantastic resource and turn it into something remarkable to be tasted and savoured throughout the world.”

Mackle Pet Foods, owners of the premium range Naturo which includes Chef’s Selection, and popular brands Brandy and Cat Club, has invested £2 million in new state of the art packing equipment to support the increase in popularity across its Naturo pet food brand.

The Tyrone family business established over four decades ago, which has its main site in Moy, has seen demand for its Naturo range increase by over 41 percent in the last year, resulting in the investment at its sister site at Moygashel.

To meet the demands, the company which exports to 12 countries globally is increasing its offering in stores across the UK and has already extended its Naturo brand to Chef’s Selection this year, with more new product development underway.

The investment will support the increase in the Naturo brand supporting production within its packaging areas. Parallel increase in production has prompted the creation of 10 new jobs as the company adds an additional shift to its evening production at its Moy site.

Commenting on the investment and new jobs, John Mackle, managing director, said; “We are delighted to be investing another £2m into our business, on the back of a £3m investment in 2017. The business is continuing to grow even during these challenging times of Brexit and the uncertainty it presents. We are encouraged that in spite of the uncertainty within trade our UK and Ireland and indeed markets globally are responding so positively to the Naturo and Naturo’s Chef’s Selection ranges, as well as our traditional brands. The £2m investment in packaging within the Naturo Range reflects the demand for the product and its popularity. This investment brings with it the need for more people to join our family brand and team, so, as well as investing we are adding to our workforce, by creating 10 new jobs at our site in Moy to meet demand.”

“The recruitment of staff into Mackle Petfoods is really important to me. My father recruited staff over 40 years ago and many are still with us today. For those who have joined in more recent times, many have already been promoted to new roles.

As a progressive, ambitious family company, recruiting and keeping the right people is really important to us, so we want to make sure we are investing for everyone’s futures here at the business,” John added.

Since it was launched in 2013, the Naturo range has increased from 4 varieties to 29, a result of constant innovation and development in response to customer feedback and market trends. The company, which is piloting a healthy fruit project to staff, has also invested over £40,000 into employee health and wellbeing in the past year as part of its commitment to its workforce.

The Mackle family have been creating high quality pet food in Northern Ireland for over 45 years.  Their philosophy is to promote overall health and maintain a healthy digestive system for pets.   Created by Mackle Pet Foods over seven years ago, Naturo is made with 100 percent natural ingredients, locally sourced and fully traceable with up to 60 percent meat. The range contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and is renowned for excellent quality.

Every stage, from sourcing raw materials to delivery to customers, is audited externally by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Naturo’s quality systems comply with the best as their “A grade” status confirms.

In 2017, the company invested over £3 million into its Naturo manufacturing facility in Moy, enabling it to more than double production.  The company employs over 200 staff locally across its sites in Moy and Moygashel.

Does your town/village/region have a passion for all things food? Do you offer a unique experience for tourists and locals alike? Do you work together as a community and encouraging the use of local produce? Then you could be Ireland’s next ‘Foodie Destination of the Year!’ 

Applications close on 12 noon on Thursday 11th of July.

We are on the search for Ireland’s premier ‘Foodie Destination’ – one that offers a sense of community spirit, collaboration and support for local businesses. The winner of Foodie Destinations will be one that actively promotes itself as a Foodie Destination to locals and tourists alike.

Application Form

In addition to the Foodie Destination Category, we are also in search of Ireland’s top ‘Foodie Town’. This category refers to both towns and villages. Tourism or vacationing should be a primary component of the local culture and economy. These towns offer a stand-alone, unique food and tourism visitor experience which does not expand out to the surrounding areas.

If you have any questions on the application process, or just have a general query, please do not hesitate to contact jane@rai.ie or 01 677 9901

See www.foodiedestinations.ie for more details and for a template of the entry form

Follow us on Twitter @FoodieDest or on Facebook at facebook.com/foodiedestinations 

Best of Luck!

Restaurants Association of Ireland