M&S LAUNCHES NEW RANGE OF LOCALLY PRODUCED PORK

Posted on

Marks and Spencer has introduced a new range of Irish pork as part of its ongoing commitment to providing customers with quality products from local farms, as the chain celebrates its 50th year of trading in Northern Ireland.

The new range, produced by local M&S supplier KARRO Cookstown, includes some of the most popular fresh pork lines including loin steaks, pork fillets, crackling leg joints, rib racks and belly strips.  In addition, a pork minute steak will be available as part of the M&S Eat Well range, due to the very lean cuts of meat. Alongside this are two peppered pork products – a pepper crusted pork loin steak and a belly joint dusted with mixed peppercorns.

Ryan Lemon, M&S Head of Region for Northern Ireland said: “Since M&S opened its first store in Northern Ireland 50 years ago, we have been committed to supporting local farmers and using local produce.  We have been working in partnership with KARRO and over the past nine months have been working alongside their New Product Development team developing flavour profiles and packaging formats to ensure that we are giving our local customers the best options when it comes to sourcing quality, Irish pork.

“In addition to this, we have also carried out work to ensure that our bacon range is made using only local pig meat.  Bacon is a core part of the family shop, and it was crucial for us that the meat is sourced from local farmers and produced in Northern Ireland.

“We are extremely pleased to be introducing these products to our customers, who we’re sure will love them as much as we do.”

M&S’ new bacon range will include traditional cut back bacon, along with thick cut and streaky bacon. The lean cut bacon medallions, which are becoming increasingly popular with customers will complete the range.

KARRO have been supplying gammon and bacon to M&S stores for over 15 years from their factory in Cookstown. All the pork is sourced from farms in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, with many of the farmers supplying to the Cookstown factory from generation to generation.

Trevor Mounstephen, KARRO’s M&S Account Manager said: “We are very pleased to be working with M&S to introduce this new, locally produced range to stores, as the retailer celebrates a milestone 50 years of trading in Northern Ireland.

“We have enjoyed a long relationship with M&S and admire their consistent dedication to local agriculture and sustainable farming. We look forward to working with them for many years to come.”

Wonderful show strengthens link between farming and food

Posted on

Article written by Food NI CEO Michele Shirlow, featured in Farm Week

That’s Balmoral over for another year. And what a wonderful show it proved to be. With Theresa May and the Earl of Wessex visiting the FoodNI Pavilion it was another memorable show. We were exceptionally busy with over 40 buyers scouting the producers for new talent and it was our biggest-ever presentation at Balmoral. I know that most of the companies in the pavilion, made good contacts and did business.

It seemed to me that the vast majority of the 100,000 people visiting the show, encouraged by the remarkable weather, made their way to our presentation to sample the thousands of food and drink products on show. They should have learned a great deal about the quality and variety of locally produced food and drink and better informed of just what’s readily available here when they do their weekly shopping.

They should also have seen local products splendidly showcased by the retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Lidl and the Henderson/Spar group, the latter pulling off quite a promotional coup by giving visitors bright red cowboy hats!

The show has become a tremendous platform to recognise the quality and innovation of local food and drink. It was a tremendous presentation of the products, the dedication and energy of all the participants. We really do have a very dynamic and progressive food and drink industry.

Our own FoodNI awards in the Pavilion saw Weir’s Organic Raw Milk from Tandragee win the coveted Best Overall Product at the Show Award. The Artisan Food Award was given to Neary Nogs Stoneground Chocolate from Flurrybridge and the Best Stand at the Show Award went to Broughgammon Farm in Ballycastle, a specialist in cabrito (goat’s meat) and rose veal.  Congratulations to all our winners.

There were commendations too to Krazi Baker of Dromore, Lough Neagh Eels, Toomebridge, Peppup Sauces, Portaferry, Heatherlea Bakery, Bangor and Clearer Water of county Antrim. Our judges were also impressed by the taste of Limavady-based Corndale Free Range Charcuterie’s venison salami – an innovative venture with Baronscourt Estate Venison in Omagh.

Charles Campion of Masterchef and experienced food writers and food stylists Xanthe Clay, Lucas Hollweg and Jeremy Lee with Weir’s Organic Raw Milk

Judging the winners were top food writers Charles Campion, Xanthe Clay, Lucas Hollweg and Jeremy Lee. We were delighted to host their visit to the show and to involve them in judging the presentations. All the judges were impressed by the presentations and enjoyed hearing the stories from producers, so much so that we couldn’t get them to leave on time and had to promise to bring them back to Northern Ireland.

The Henderson/Spar Group also used the show to recognise the products and quality of their local suppliers. There were awards for Genesis Bakery in Magherafelt as ‘Supplier of the Year’, Daily Bake as ‘Own Brand Supplier’, Moy Park, Craigavon for ‘Brand Innovation’, and Around Noon for ‘Best Direct to Store”.  Congratulations to all the winners and to Irwin’s who were highly commended in two of the categories.

Much, of course, has changed since Balmoral 2016, the most significant change being the UK decision to withdraw from the European Union. This year’s show, once again, emphasised the underlying strength of our most important manufacturing industry and the relationships which exist – and are growing – between farming and food.

This is why helping to sustain family farms here through growing sales of food and drink is a central theme in our Taste the Greatness strategic action plan for the next five years. Balmoral 2017 re-emphasised the need for the farming and food industry and the wider community to pull together to ensure its continuing success post-Brexit. I always believe Balmoral Show fortifies the spirit of the whole agri food community for another 12 months.

Northern Ireland’s Long Meadow Cider wins top marketing award

Posted on

Northern Ireland’s Long Meadow Cider has won marketing support and brand visibility worth £30,000 in a unique competition run by George Best Belfast City Airport to assist the growth of the food and drink industry.

Long Meadow Blossom Burst Cider also pipped nine other local products in a final tasting session at Belfast City Airport which included a panel of food and drink experts headed by Charles Campion, one of the UK’s most high-profile food critics.

The competition, launched in partnership with Food NI and local councils in January to find the best  local food and drink product, offered the prize of £20,000 of branding on site at Belfast City Airport and £10,000 of online support through the airport’s digital channels.

Joining Charles on the tasting panel for the final shortlisted 10 products were Joanne Deighan, commercial manager at Belfast City Airport, Michele Shirlow, chief executive of Food NI, and food and beverage expert Charlie Kerlin, director of Corporate Finance at Grant Thornton, the business consultancy.

The tasting session was the final stage of the competition, which also involved a detailed application process and a two-week social media competition.

Joanne Deighan, for the airport, said: “We are delighted that Long Meadow Blossom Burst Cider has been crowned Northern Ireland’s best local food and drink product and will receive the fantastic prize of £30,000 of marketing support at Belfast City Airport.

“Over 2.67 million passengers from across the world travel through the airport each year and to receive this amount of exposure will help significantly elevate the profile of Long Meadow Blossom Burst Cider to an international level.”

Long Meadow Cider is owned by husband and wife, Pat and Catherine McKeever, and is based on the family’s apple farm at Loughgall in county Armagh. Managing director Pat McKeever: “We are totally overwhelmed to win this fantastic prize. To just make the final shortlist was a massive achievement in itself, and to be named winner amongst such strong competition is a major honour.

“The marketing prize and the brand exposure we will receive through Belfast City Airport will have a phenomenal impact on our business. We are a family firm that is extremely passionate about what we do and this prize will help take our product to another level.”

Michele Shirlow said: “Huge congratulations to our winner, Long Meadow Blossom Burst Cider, and also to our nine incredible finalists, each of whom has done exceptionally well to reach this stage of the competition.

“I would also like to thank everyone on our judging panel, and I want to offer a special word of thanks to celebrated food critic Charles Campion for his invaluable input.”

Charles Campion, food critic for The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the London Evening Standard, said: “Long Meadow Blossom Burst Cider is a worthy winner of this fantastic competition. This initiative is further evidence that Northern Ireland is truly making its mark in the global food and drink market.”

The full list of 10 shortlisted products was:

Country Kitchen Celebrates 25th Birthday with Rebrand and New Products

Posted on

One of Northern Ireland’s best-loved brands is celebrating its milestone 25th anniversary by launching not one, but two innovative new products and a brand-new look, as part of a brand refresh.

County Kitchen, the own-brand of Lurgan-based Avondale Foods, has announced that Mexican-inspired Chipotle Coleslaw, featuring a hint of smoky spices, as well as Tomato, Pepper & Feta Cheese Salad will now be available in Tesco stores across Northern Ireland from today (16th May).

These new, ready-to-eat products will feature Country Kitchen’s new-look packaging.  New listings will also be introduced, such as a single-serve twin-pack of Coleslaw and Potato Salad, as part of the rebrand.

Dawn Cann, Marketing Manager at Avondale Foods said: “Since inception, Country Kitchen has been one of Northern Ireland’s best-loved food brands, consistently delivering a market-leading range of salads and traditional hearty soups for our loyal customers.

“In this, our 25th year, it was important to mark the occasion with something significant, hence our decision to rebrand our packaging. The new design is contemporary, exciting and eye-catching – the perfect complement to our delicious products including the new Chipotle Coleslaw and Tomato, Red Pepper & Feta Cheese Salad.

Caoimhe Mannion, Marketing Manager for Tesco Northern Ireland said: “The new prepared salad range from Country Kitchen responds perfectly to the growing trend for convenience products that deliver a premium luxury experience. Tesco NI has a longstanding and successful relationship with Country Kitchen, it has proven it can consistently deliver an excellent product so we are really excited to have its new prepared salad range in its newly rebranded packaging in Tesco stores across Northern Ireland – we expect it to be very popular with our customers.”

Dawn Cann continued: “This is a very exciting time for the team at Country Kitchen – our new branding and products really reflect our enthusiasm and professionalism in ensuring we bring only the very best products and service to our customers.

“We remain committed to new product innovation and quality and are very excited to be launching these new products which we’ve taken the time to perfect and ensure they meet today’s consumer needs and tastes.

“The Country Kitchen range is now presented in one single tier, meaning our customers only get the best coleslaw.   Our products are easy to spot on the aisle of your favourite supermarket, to take home and enjoy this summer. Whether a seasoned Country Kitchen consumer or looking to try something new, we’re confident our customers will love them!”

Clandeboye Estate signs exclusive £500,000 ALDI deal

Posted on

 

Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt in Northern Ireland, has signed a deal with ALDI worth a potential £500,000.

From this month, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, Northern Ireland’s only yoghurt producer, will be supplying ALDI with a range of flavoured Greek Yoghurts created exclusively for the supermarket chain using the milk from the estate’s award-winning herd of Holstein and Jersey cows.

The new yoghurts will be retailed under ALDI’s successful “Specially Selected” line of premium private label products that have been created with the aim of adding a little bit of affordable luxury to the weekly food shop.

Following taste tests to create exclusive flavours, the new 200g yoghurts will be hitting the shelves in ALDI stores across Ireland in May.   Based on Clandeboye’s much loved, authentically strained Greek Style yoghurt, customers will be able to treat themselves this summer to three new varieties, Raspberry and White Chocolate, Mandarin and Lime and Alphonso Mango and Nectarine.

“We are delighted to be joining ALDI’s ‘Specially Selected’ family,” says Bryan Boggs, manager of Clandeboye Estate’s yoghurt business.  “Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt has been stocked in ALDI and performing very well for over a year. It’s a great boost to the business to be identified for ALDI’s own brand premium range which includes products sourced from some of the best specialty food producers across Europe.”

Clandeboye Estate estimates that the ALDI contract could potentially be worth around £500,000 a year with supply extending to ALDI’s 129 stores across Ireland. The financial boost will allow plans to progress to expand the business with the building of new production facility on the estate which not only provides increased capacity but importantly will further the estate’s commitment to improving their environmental footprint by making use of Clandeboye’s Anerobic digester for the energy requirements.

Lady Dufferin and Bryan Boggs, general manager of Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt

“Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt was founded on the desire to add value to the milk from our award winning herd and use it to create a food business that would go some way in sustaining this historic estate for the future.  We have come a long way in a decade and as we continue to grow the business with the support of large trade customers such as ALDI, we will be staying true to our roots and environmental values at the heart of our business.”

Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt is the brainchild of Lady Dufferin, the Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava and a member of the Guinness family.  Determined to add value to the high quality milk produced by her award winning herd of pedigree cows and astounded by the fact that yoghurt production had virtually disappeared from Northern Ireland, Lady Dufferin seized the opportunity to develop a boutique yoghurt production business on her country estate.

Clandeboye Estate’s range of Greek style and Natural yoghurts were officially launched in 2008 and have been highly successful in the Northern Ireland market with listings secured in major supermarket chains Sainsbury’s, Asda NI Tesco, Spar, Musgraves and many independent retailers.  The products are also stocked in Fortnum & Mason in UK and Café Sol, Insomnia and Aldi in Ireland.

Clandeboye Estate yoghurts latest awards include:

2016 3 stars in Great Taste Awards: Greek Style
2016 1 star in Great Taste Awards: Natural, Madagascan Vanilla Greek Style and Mango and Granola Snack pots
2016 Gold in The Blas na hEireann Irish Quality Awards: Greek Style Best product in Co. Down: Greek Style
Best Food Product Dairy in The Irish Breakfast Awards, Failte Ireland and Georgina Campbell Irish Food Guides

 

Top awards for Northern Irish Genesis Bakery

Posted on

Genesis Crafty, the Northern Irish craft bakery, has been named the Overall Local Supplier of the Year Henderson Wholesale, the region’s leading wholesale food business

Based in Magherafelt, County Derry, Genesis also won the Tomorrow Matters award which recognises sustainable practices.

Genesis Crafty is run by the six baking McErlaine brothers and supples a range of cakes, pancakes, scones and a variety of local breads to Henderson Wholesale, and over 400 Spar, Eurospar and Vivo branded stores in Northern Ireland. 

Other winners at the awards included Armagh’s Daily Bake for the Own Brand Supplier of the Year Award, Around Noon, Newry, County Down who took home the Best Direct to Store Supplier award, and Moy Park, who won the Brand Innovation award.

Highly Commended awards were taken home by K&G McAtamney, Ballymena, County Antrim for Own Brand Supplier of the Year, Irwin’s Bakery in Portadown, County Armagh in the Tomorrow Matters and Best Direct to Store Supplier categories, Hovis, Belfast for Brand Innovation and Milgro, Coleraine, County Derry for Local Supplier of the Year.

Neal Kelly, fresh foods director at Henderson Wholesale, said; “This is the fifth year of the Local Supplier Awards, and the most successful to date. We received a record amount of over 40 entries from 29 of the local producers, farmers and growers who supply to the company and our stores in Northern Ireland.

“We have seen some truly innovative and sustainable practices from our suppliers in the past year, which helps us to continually grow our fresh food offering in store for daily shoppers. The enjoy local range is expanding and reached sales of over £25.5 million last year, and we wouldn’t be able to stock such a high-quality range without these suppliers.

The judges scrutinised the entries across five categories which reflect the workings of Henderson Wholesale’s fresh ambition to always be passionate about local food, local people and local companies.

Henderson Group is a local family business achieving 91st place on the latest 2016 Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table of the U.K’s private companies.

Henderson Wholesale has been distributing food and grocery-related products to the convenience retail sector for 120 years and is the largest operator of its kind in the country, supplying 422 stores. The group is committed to sourcing local fresh foods from farmers, growers and suppliers, with over 75 per cent of fresh products sourced on the island of Ireland. Operating out of its head office in Mallusk, the Group employs 3,099 employees across Northern Ireland.

Results of the Henderson Wholesale Local Supplier Awards 2017

Own Brand Supplier of the Year

Winner: Daily Bake

Highly Commended: K&G McAtamney Butchers

Tomorrow Matters Award

Winner: Genesis Crafty

Highly Commended: Irwin’s Bakery

Best Direct to Store Supplier

Winner: Around Noon

Highly Commended: Irwin’s Bakery

Brand Innovation

Winner: Moy Park

Highly Commended: Hovis

Local Supplier of the Year

Winner: Genesis Crafty

Highly Commended: Milgro