Armagh’s Long Meadow Cider, one of Ireland’s leading and most successful
producers of award-winning ciders, apple juice and apple cider vinegar, has won a
gold medal in Ireland’s prestigious Family Business Awards 2024.
The producer, in addition, was named Drinks Producer of the Year 2024 in the
coveted Good Food Ireland Awards on Monday night, the second major award in a
week.
Based on the McKeever’s extensive family orchard farm at Loughgall, Long Meadow
was the most successful Northern Ireland at the annual awards in Dublin last week.
The small company came out on top in the Best Small Family Business of the Year
2024.
The only other local success in the coveted awards was TS Foods in Castlewellan,
Co Down, winner of a bronze medal in the Family Food and Drink Producer
category.
Long Meadow’s Alanna McKeever says: “This was a huge win for our family. We’re
over the moon to have won a gold medal in the awards! As a third-generation family
business, this recognition is especially meaningful – it celebrates not only our hard
work but the legacy of dedication and passion that’s been poured into Long Meadow
over the years.
“Standing among so many exceptional family businesses was truly inspiring and
humbling. Each of them understands the unique challenges and joys that come with
a family-run venture, and we’re proud to be in such great company.
“To our family, team, and community: we couldn’t have done it without your support,
encouragement, and belief in our mission. Here’s to the next chapter in our family’s
story—one filled with more growth, great cider, and exciting opportunities,” adds
Alanna.
Founded and run by husband and wife team Pat and Catherine McKeever with son
Peter and daughter Alanna on the family farm, Long Meadow Cider has diversified
into cider and juice processing of their own apples in 2012. The company has since
won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards for premium quality and taste.

Two Food NI members have won major awards at the annual World Steak Challenge

2024. The successful producers were Hannan Meats, Moira and ABP Kettyle Irish
      Foods from Lisnaskea, Co Fermanagh.
      Both winners are renowned for innovative techniques for curing and ageing meats.
      Kettyle Irish Foods, a business formed by Maurice Kettyle in 2004 and now part of
      the ABP Group, gained the prestigious Innovation Award for its unique technique
      ageing meat in a salt moss chamber. Kettyle also gained a silver medal for its ribeye
      steak.
      Hannan Meats, formed by entrepreneur Peter Hannan in 1991, gained gold for its
      ribeye aged in the world’s largest complex of Himalayan salt chambers.
      Launched in 2015 to deliver a recognised stamp of quality to support world-class
      steak production on a global platform, the coveted awards give steak producers from
      across the world a unique opportunity to benchmark product quality, breed
      credentials and processing standards on the international stage.
      Other local winners in the various categories were Foyle Food Group of Campsie
      and ABP Linden Foods of Dungannon

We invite you to sign up to our 2025 SALSA capability workshops!
SALSA is the food safety certification scheme for the UK’s small food and drink producers.

Sign up to SALSA workshops with Gwen Cahoon
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/19ipCaJCPMnv71iin7h-AkyWO80BUtc8YbcLTRAA6mVU/edit

These workshops have already taken 60 local companies step by step through each SALSA section so that you leave SALSA ready

Why ?
Achieving SALSA shows that a business is committed to producing and supplying safe and legal food
It can:
Gain the confidence of prospective customers
Help supply products to regional and national buyers
Open up new opportunities for businesses to expand
Provide guidance and support to develop a food safety management system.

Gwen Cahoon is a professionally qualified and trained mentor since 2008

Who is eligible?
Small food and drink businesses Operating from a separate facility to their home kitchen
Workshops will be held in a central location and take place over 6 sessions, one for each SALSA section.

Thanks to the support of InvestNI there is no cost to attend.

Food NI member Hinch Distillery in Ballynahinch, Co Down hosted the annual Irish
Whiskey Awards 2024. The distillery and other Food NI members also won a host of
awards in the competition, the most prestigious in Ireland this year.
In addition to major awards for Hinch, there was significant recognition from the
influential judging panel for Food NI members Two Stacks from Newry and Rademon
Estate Distillery of Crossgar.
The awards reflect the growing strength of whiskey distilling in Northern Ireland,
where there are now around 12 distilleries. Over the past 15 years distilling has
grown from just one, Old Bushmills in Co Antrim.

The awards for Food NI members are as follows:

Cream Liqueur Gold: Two Stacks Double Irish Cream, Newry, Co Down

Single Malt 11 Years and Under (Over €60) Winner:

Gold: Two Stacks x Bankers Bar 7 Year Old Single Malt PX Sherry Finish from
Newry

Blend Non-Age Statement (Over €50) Winner: Shortcross Distiller’s Duo from
Rademon Estate Distillery in Crossgar

Blended Whiskey Age Statement Gold: Hinch 15 Year Old Oloroso Sherry Cask
Finish Batch 1 from Ballynahinch

Peated Whiskey Gold: Winner Shortcross 5 Year Old Peated from Rademon
Estate in Crossgar

Gold: The Chancer Irish Whiskey Bonding Company from Rademon Estate in
Crossgar

Judging of this year’s awards took place earlier this July and August where
organisers, Celtic Whiskey of Celtic Whiskey Shop Dawson Street, hosted several
blind tastings in Dublin’s Doyle’s Corner, and have been coordinating other tastings
throughout Ireland with members of the Irish Whiskey Society — Dublin and Dingle,
Cork Whiskey Society, Waterford Whiskey Society, Kilkenny Whiskey Guild, Ennis
Whiskey Club, 1875 Whiskey Club, Carlow Whiskey Society, Belfast Whiskey Club,
Louth Whiskey Society, Skerries Whiskey Society and the Aviator’s Whiskey Society.
The Irish craft spirits and liqueurs were blind tasted by a panel of mixologists and
bartenders in September, hosted by Bar 1661 in Dublin.

Food NI member Irish Black Butter has won the only gold for Northern Ireland in the
annual UK Quality Food and Drink Awards at a gala presentation in London.
In addition to the success of Alastair Bell’s Irish Black Butter from Portrush, there
were other medals for White’s Oats of Tandragee for its porridge oats and Kilkeel’s
Crawford’s Rock, an innovator in seaweed salts and other products.
White’s gained silver and bronze for its oats and Crawford’s Rock a bronze.
All three are longstanding Food NI member companies.
The Quality Food gold is the latest in a strong of awards for Irish Black Butter which
also gained first business with Marks and Spencer. The coveted awards are the
most important in the UK for the grocery sector.
Irish Black Butter was formed by businessman Alastair Bell at Portrush in 2017 as ‘a
great new taste of Ireland’ from Armagh Bramley apples, cider, a touch of brandy,
treacle, sugar and spices for spreading, cooking, baking or mixing.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have won this hugely important recognition from the
grocery sector in the UK,” says Alastair. It’s a real bonus coming so soon after our
listing by M&S and should help increase awareness of our product in the grocery
sector in Britain.
“Winning a Quality Food Award is an outstanding achievement. It means that my
product has been judged to be the very best by renowned industry experts – and that
really is something to shout about,” he adds.
Now in its 45th year, the Quality Food Awards are the longest-running, most
prestigious food awards in the UK; they cast a spotlight on products that offer fine
ingredients, great taste and aroma, beautiful packaging and amazing value for
money.
The awards are not just about new products – the judges are looking to reward
excellence in food and soft drinks, regardless of when a product was launched. If it
tastes great and looks great, a well-established product is as eligible to win an award
as one that was launched in the past 12 months.

Marks and Spencer (M&S) food halls last week began selling Irish Black Butter
sweet/savoury spread from Portrush, Co Antrim on the strategically important run-
down to the traditional festive magic.
The deal represents a major sales breakthrough with a top UK and Irish grocer for
the Food NI member company.
Irish Black Butter was formed by businessman Alastair Bell in 2017 as ‘a great new
taste of Ireland’ from Armagh Bramley apples, cider, a touch of brandy, treacle, sugar
and spices for spreading, cooking, baking or mixing.
The company, the smallest to be listed by M&S in Northern Ireland to date, has
already won a host of major awards including Great Taste, Irish Quality Food, Great
British Food, and an Irish National Food Award.
“I am absolutely thrilled to have been chosen by such a prestigious food hall, my first
multiple supermarket business,” says Alastair. “It’s a tremendous bonus, a real boost
for us as we gear up for the Christmas period. Irish Black Butter is perfect as a glaze
for meats especially ham and also as an accompaniment with cheese and crackers,”
adds Alastair.