Northern Ireland’s Henderson Foodservice, part of the Henderson Group, one of the largest employers in Northern Ireland, has added to its expanding portfolio with the acquisition of multi depot foodservice company, Foodco. 

Established in 1985, Foodco is an independently owned foodservice company, with distribution depots based in Lisburn, Co Antrim and Ashbourne, Co. Meath.  Operating a fleet of multi-temperature vehicles, Foodco specialise in the supply of bespoke products to the foodservice industry throughout the island of Ireland.

Cathal Geoghegan, managing director of Henderson Foodservice, said the acquisition is another exciting opportunity to complement the growth and development in the foodservice sector for both companies.

“The acquisition occurs at an exciting time for us as a business. Following a record-breaking turnover in 2018, we’re delighted to welcome the staff and management of Foodco into our company portfolio.  Foodco is a terrific company with a strong reputation and loyal customer base and we look forward to supporting the FoodCo team in solidifying their synergy with customers and suppliers.”

The acquisition is in line with Henderson Foodservice’s future strategy and expansion which includes a £25 million investment in new facilities, staff and business development. Ron Whitten, chief financial officer added, “Our purchase of Foodco follows the successful acquisition of BD Foods in July 2018 and will further strengthen the product portfolio at Henderson Foodservice. It also presents substantial opportunities for us to increase our collective customer base across the island of Ireland.”

 Foodco’s board, Alan Kelly, Gary McIlroy, Barry Monaghan and Robert Walsh, is excited by the future prospects of this acquisition.

“This is a great opportunity for the staff and ourselves to continue the expansion of the business by being part of one of the largest foodservice companies in Ireland, Henderson Foodservice.We would like to thank all our staff, customers and suppliers for all the support over the years.  We have developed our business through excellent customer service, product innovation and strong personal relationships.  Being a part of Henderson Group will copper fasten this and provide us with a strong platform to continue our growth throughout Ireland.”

Although acquired as part of Henderson Foodservice, Foodco will operate as a stand-alone business with the existing management and board and will retain its corporate name and identity.

 

 

Hillstown Brewery has won its first business in Britain with help from Mid and East Antrim Council and Food NI.

The brewery is now shipping its full range of craft beers and ales to Cotswold Fayre in Reading, a leading speciality food and drink wholesaler, supplying independent retailers, farm shops and delis across the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The contract, the brewery’s first significant business in Britain, follows participation by the farm-based micro-brewery with the council and Food NI at the big Speciality and Fine Food Show at Olympia in London last December.

Nigel Logan, founder and managing director of the business, part of an extensive livestock farm just outside Randalstown, commenting on the agreement with Cotswold Fayre, says: “Taking part with the council and Food NI at Speciality Food enabled us to meet and showcase our range of beers to the wholesaler. We had tried contacting them directly by email before without success in the past in a bid to persuade them to sample our beers. Participation at Speciality Food opened the door for us.

“Speciality Food is the UK’s biggest show for artisan and smaller food companies, and we decided to avail of support from the council in conjunction with Food NI to attend the show in the hope that we would meet key buyers from wholesalers such as Cotswold Fayre. I greatly appreciate the encouragement and practical support we are receiving from the council to grow our brewing business. We had been looking for an opportunity to break into the British market. So, taking part at Speciality Food was an extremely worthwhile experience. It proved to be the way to meet buyers face-to-face and to invite them to sample our beers.”

“The buyer enjoyed the beers and was attracted by Hillstown’s unique and eye-catching branding,” Mr Logan continues. “Cotswold Fayre includes a large number of farm shops among its clients and reckoned that our beers like our award-winning Goat’s Butt wheat and hybrid beer, a two-star Great Taste winner, Horny Bull Stout and Squealing Pig IPA would appeal to farm shop customers in particular,” he says.

The company has won two gold stars for its Horny Bull Stout, Spitting Llama and Goat’s Butt. Horny Bull also gained runner up in the Campaign for Real Ale Best UK Stout.

Mr Logan will be supporting Cotswold Fayre at marketing events to launch Hillstown Brewery’s range of beers to customers in Britain.

Congratulating Hillstown Brewery on its success, Mayor of Mid and East Antrim Councillor Lindsay Millar says: “This is very good news for one of the council area’s most ambitious smaller enterprises, which is growing impressively from its base on a successful local farm. It has become an important role model of the sort of innovative farm diversification that the council is keen to encourage and support through our focus on business and especially in sales outside Northern Ireland.

“This focus on expanding opportunities for smaller companies, in particular, is designed to promote employment opportunities throughout the borough, a key priority of Amplify – the Integrated Economic Development Strategy for Mid and East Antrim 2018-2030, which also aims to focus on growth, as part of the wider aim to grow the local economy,” she adds.

Food NI’s chief executive Michele Shirlow adds:

“We are thrilled by Hillstown Brewery’s latest success following the company’s participation in the council’s initiative in conjunction with us at Speciality Food. Creating opportunities for our companies to meet buyers in Britain is an important aspect in the range of services we provide for the local food and drink industry. We are delighted to be working alongside Mid and East Antrim Council as it seeks to enhance the local economy through participation at important marketing events in Britain, our single most important market for our fabulous food and drink. We are pleased to have been appointed by the council to work on a programme of activities to strengthen the overall competitiveness of food processors and hospitality operators both here and in markets such as Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.”

 

Local companies found participation at the recent Scotland Speciality Food in Glasgow a worthwhile exercise especially in terms of useful contacts made and business leads generated.

The companies took part on a stand organised by Food NI in association with Invest Northern Ireland at the event, Scotland’s biggest show for food and drink buyers.

 

Taking part on the Food NI/Invest NI stand were:

Heatherlea Bakery, Bangor – breads, biscuits and cakes;

Irish Black Butter, Portrush – savoury spread;

Noisy Nuts, Ballygowan – flavoured nuts to accompany craft beers; and

Peppup Sauces, Portaferry – authentic Italian ketchup and pasta sauces

A Food NI section included a wide range of foods from other local producers.

 

Noel Allen, founder/managing director of Ballygowan–based Noisy Nuts, a producer of flavoured peanuts to accompany craft beers, says the show was “very successful”.

“I had undertaken a lot of marketing in advance and this led to a number of potential customers coming specifically to talk to us,” he says. “We sampled a lot of produce and talked to a great many visitors who were interested in our unique nuts. As a result of this, we’ve made a lot of good business contacts which we are currently following hope. I’d expect to be supplying customers in Scotland soon,” he adds.

Alastair Bell, chief executive of Irish Black Butter, a unique Bramley apple-based savoury spread for a range of uses, says:

“It was my first time there and it was a bit of a learning experience. I found considerable interest in my product and many visitors were keen for me to contact them after the show. I am now following up leads from distributors, independent retailers and delis from all over Scotland. It will take a bit of time to convert the leads into solid business.”

 

 

The Northern Ireland presentation at show in Glasgow was the first in a series of events being organised by Food NI in Britain in association with Invest NI during 2019. The Northern Ireland companies, most launched in Scotland for the first time, were among 150 exhibitors from many parts of the UK.

The popular show gave trade buyers an impressive choice of good quality products, great networking opportunities and the chance to expand their business skills.

The show, in its 11^th year, was held at Glasgow’s exhibition centre. Companies exhibited all types ofspeciality food including gift food, bakery, cheese, cooked and cured meats, chutneys, preserves, oil and vinegars, herbs and spices, confectionery, tea and coffee, beers, spirits and cordials.

 

More than 1,000 trade buyers from department stores, farm shops, delis, food halls, restaurants and hotels visited the show which also featured a seminar programme and awards for the best products.

Abernethy Butter, the Northern Ireland producer of a gourmet range of handmade butters, has won a major distribution deal in Britain.

The company, based at Dromara in Co Down, is now supplying its four-strong range of luxury butters to Cotswold Fayre, the UK leader in the distribution of gourmet food and drink.

The deal, Abernethy’s first with a major distributor of gourmet products throughout Great Britain and Ireland, was agreed earlier in the year. Cotswold Fayre, the leading supplier of premium products to delis, independent food stores, farm shops, restaurants and hotels, is handling the four Abernethy butters – original, smoked, seaweed and the recently launched black garlic.

The company, a Food NI member, has won a string of UK Great Taste Awards for its products and counts among its clients are top chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Marcus Wareing along with food specialists including Nigella Lawson.

Other clients include the prestigious Ritz Hotel in London and Ashford Castle in Co Mayo. Existing retailers in Britain also include Fortnum and Mason, Harrods and Selfridges.

Allison Abernethy, who founded the small company with husband Will, the butter maker in 2005, commenting on the latest deal, says: “We were thrilled when Cotswold Fayre approached us about distributing our products. They told us that the approach was the outcome of demand from their customers in Britain for our handmade butter.

“The agreement gives us access to their extensive network of customers focused on gourmet products. It’s a good fit for us and we look forward to working closely with them in our most important market outside Northern Ireland. The new business with Cotswold Fayre is very exciting and is a tremendous endorsement of the consistently high quality and outstanding taste of our handcrafted butter. It’s marvellous that their customers have been asking for our butter”  – Allison Abernethy.

The enterprising couple use only traditional techniques on their 66-acre farm in Co Down, which has been in Will’s family for generations. They source cream for the butter from cows grazing on the lush green pastures of the Lagan Valley in Co Antrim. All that is added to the natural butter is a pinch of salt. The butter is available in delis, farm shops and smaller retailers across Northern Ireland.

Belfast-based boutique blender Suki Tea has introduced a series of colourful caddies for loose leaf teas, says Sam Butler.

The company, a Food NI member based in west Belfast and a leading local exporter of teas and fruit infusions, has developed the colourful tin caddies as a plastic-free option for storing tea.

The stylish caddies are available in ‘Red Berry’, ‘Apple Loves Mint’ and ‘Belfast Brew’ labels reflect three popular tea varieties blended by the company and are also designed as a perfect gift. The airtight tins are ideal for storing loose tea.

“They are an elegant and practical caddies which will take pride of place on any kitchen worktop and keep tea fresh,” says Suki joint founder Oscar Woolley.

“They are plastic-free and reusable! Just fill it up again and again! Under the pretty label, these tea caddies are embossed with our iconic sketches, a truly special keepsake.

“At Suki, we are very passionate about having complete respect for the planet. Single use plastic is a huge issue, our tea caddy is completely plastic free and reusable. Live better with loose tea and less waste’” he adds.

The caddies join Suki’s developing portfolio of tea accessories that already includes a specially designed stump teapot and bamboo trays.

Mr Woolley, a native of Nottingham, founded Suki Tea in 2005 with business partner Anne Irwin and launched the tea blending operation at St George’s Market in Belfast.

 

The specialist tea business has blended an extensive range of quality teas and fruit infusions and has won a host of UK Great Taste Awards. The teas are on sale throughout the UK and exported to Japan, Africa and Europe.

 

As well as blending teas from Kenya, India, China and Japan, the company is developing a tea plantation, only the second of its kind in the British Isles.

Tea plants imported from Kenya, nurtured at Greenmount Agricultural in Antrim, are now growing near Portaferry on Strangford Lough.