Hannan Meats, the Northern Irish catering butcher, has won its first business in Hong Kong and Macau for its premium Himalayan salt aged beef.

The company, which is based in Moira, county Down, has just started supplying its award winning grass-fed beef, some from Glenarm Shorthorn animals from county Antrim, to major foodservice operators for high-end restaurants in Hong Kong including for those attached to casinos in Macau.

The contracts follow an approach to the Northern Ireland meat specialist, which dry-ages beef in what is now the world’s biggest Himalayan salt chamber. The company is providing a range of cuts including sirloin, fillet and ribeye.

Peter Hannan, managing director of Hannan Meats, commenting on the new business, says: “The new customers had heard very positive reports about our meat and approached us to see if we would be interested in supplying products to what are very competitive and quality conscious markets in Asia.
We are up against other longer established meat suppliers specialising in products such as Wagyu and Kobe.

“We were keen to explore opportunities there and sent samples by air. The response was extremely enthusiastic from foodservice operators who told us our meat is of exceptional quality and outstanding taste. We are quietly confident that it can hold its place against the world’s best, being grass fed, and with the flavour of Ireland’s clover in lush meadow pastures.

“Our first consignment of Himalayan salt aged been was air freighted to Hong Kong this week. It will be featured on the menus of some of the most respected restaurants in both Hong Kong and Macau,” he adds.

Hong Kong and Macau are the latest export markets for Hannan’s beef. The company, which employs around 40 people, already exports to France, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland. It also has successful business in Britain, where it supplies renowned chefs such as Mark Hix and upmarket retail Fortnum and Mason, both in London.

The company’s reputation for innovative beef and bacon products has been enhanced as a result of its achievements in major UK competitions such as the Great Taste Awards, the UK’s main food awards.

Established in 1990 by Mr Hannan, Hannan Meats was chosen as the Supreme Champion in 2012/13 for its Italian style Guanciale bacon. The company also gained a record number of gold stars for a wide range of meats in the same awards.

Hannan’s standing as an innovator in food was further enhanced by his development of the first Himalayan salt chamber for dry-ageing beef to provide a distinctive flavour and succulent taste. The company created the first salt chamber in 2012 and subsequently invested in what is now the world’s biggest Himalayan salt chamber in April 2013 to meet the demand for its meat.

Article written by Sam Butler for Farm Week

Karen Boyd grew tired on selling pizzas and decided instead to start making her own, a decision which eventually led to a substantial deal with Tesco Northern Ireland. “I owned pizza shops in Comber and Killyleagh for over 20 years before deciding to start up my own small business,” she says. “Selling pizzas had become intensely competitive and very challenging business.”

Setting up a small enterprise making pizzas was a logical step for the Co. Down mother of one, Josh 18. That was in 2013. “I didn’t really want to get into the business of producing ready-to-cook pizzas in boxes because it’s also very competitive. It’s a market dominated by major players. I sought to use my experience in selling a wide range of pizzas to create something different but authentic. This led me to take a long hard look at the market to see if there was a gap that I could exploit and make a profit,” she adds.

Karen came up with an idea to produce an innovative frozen kit that made it easier than ever for consumers to create a pizza and enjoy the whole process of doing so. “I reckoned the frozen kit would appeal in particular to children and teenagers interested in cooking and keen to create their own convenient meals. I believe that people want to cook again and are keen to know more about what they are eating, especially what their children are consuming, and those producing the food.”

She developed an initial kit comprising two dough balls with sachets of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce and tested the concept on family and friends. The feedback was universally positive. “Everyone found the pizzas easy to make and very tasty,” she adds.

The dough balls are easily kneaded to make two 12 inch pizza bases, if required. Cheese, the sauce and other ingredients are added and the pizza popped into an oven for around 15 minutes. It’s then ready to eat. The re-sealable pack means one set of pizza ingredients can be kept in the fridge for use later.

“It’s not a microwaveable product,” she adds. “Only men ask if they can cook it in a microwave.”

The next stage for Karen was to seek advice from food experts in areas such as nutritional information and shelf life. Two innovation vouchers from Invest NI enabled Karen to access expert support from the technical team at Loughry Food Technology Centre, near Cookstown, part of the College of Food, Agriculture and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). CAFRE organised blind tastings and provided the expert advice she needed to push ahead with her business idea. “Loughry was tremendously supportive and helped me in the development of the pizza kits in so many ways.”

Gaining access to Invest NI’s successful Design Development Programme enabled Karen to work with the talented team at the Triplicate design studio in Belfast. They created the packaging and the Pizzado corporate identity to ensure the kits would capture the imagination of shoppers and encourage them to buy. “I wanted packaging that would be totally different from the usual pizza boxes. Together we came up with the type of pack that would stand out from the rest.”

Virtually all the Pizzado ingredients – flour and medium fat mozzarella cheese – are locally sourced. The frozen pizzas are gluten-free and available in cheese and tomato, pepperoni and garlic bread flavours. They are also low in sugar and have half the salt of other pizzas currently on the market.

Karen is also quick to acknowledge the advice and practical support for her fledgling enterprise from Denis Lynn, managing director of Lynn’s Country Foods in Downpatrick, a business best known for Finnebrogue venison and pork sausages for major retailers. “Denis was very helpful when I had an opportunity to talk to him about Pizzado. He has a wealth of experience and great contacts in the industry. He helped me to identify the right Tesco Northern Ireland buyer, which I did. The buyer was interested but didn’t place an order back then.”

What encouraged Tesco to place a substantial contract for Pizzado was the product’s success in the influential Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards in Dublin, an annual event that showcases new products to supermarkets and other major retailers, in 2014. Pizzado came out on top in the all-Ireland pizza category.

“Recognition in the quality awards was a fantastic endorsement of Pizzado’s quality and innovation and it caught the attention of a number of key buyers. Tesco NI followed up quickly and the subsequent discussions led to the contract to supply Northern Ireland’s biggest supermarket chain. That was in 2015.

“Winning the contract with Tesco was a tremendous boost. My target had always been to attract a leading supermarket because it’s the best channel for me. It’s the way to reach a substantial market quickly and cost effectively,” Karen says. “It’s probably the best way for a smaller company with limited financial and other resources to make an impact on the market. I am keen now to see Pizzado in the freezers of supermarkets in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.”

Southern Regional College’s First Year Foundation Degree in International Hospitality & Tourism Management and International Travel & Tourism Management students are hungry for success!

Following on from a very successful event in 2015 and again as part of their Events Operations module the students are organising Newry’s Second Food Festival in the Market in Newry on Friday 22nd April 2016 from 11am to 6pm.

The festival will consist of 4 areas:
• The marketplace featuring local food producers and suppliers – we are looking for the full range of products to be represented – jams, relishes, chutneys, breads, tray-bakes, veg, dairy products, specialty meats, fish, oils, dressings, sauces, confectionary and specialty items.
• A pop-up restaurant area with local restaurants and eateries
• A chef demonstration area
• Live music

Local businesses are bringing a taste of their menus to the heart of Newry – be sure to stop by for lunch, tea, a coffee or snack and even bring some wholesome Northern Ireland produce home to your own kitchen. A range of demonstrations will take place between 12 and 6pm including SRC Catering Students as well as Aine’s Kitchen Cookery School, and live music for everyone to enjoy.

To date the following local businesses are taking part: Café Krem, City Cheese, Crepes 2 Go, Drumnasilla (Unusual Jams, Chutneys, Curds & Marmalades), Flemings Farmhouse Bakery, Harnett’s Oils, Holdens Chocolates, Juice Plus, Long Lane Pantry, Neary Nogs Artisan Chocolate, Price’s Ice-cream, Red Dog Artisan Food, The Gluten Free Patisserie, The Krazi Baker, Passion Preserved, Art Bar Funkel and La Dolce Vita.

The Market has been made available free of charge to stall holders by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.

Check out SRC’s website and social media platforms in the coming weeks for further details:
www.facebook.com/SouthernRegionalCollege

For further information, contact Tanya Mc Aleenan on mcaleenant@src.ac.uk

Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards, Culloden Hotel, Friday 6th May 2016

Award Categories:

Best Marketing Campaign
Best In Store Consumer Sales Promotion
Best New Product Launch/ Re Launch
Best CSR Initiative – Charity Partnership
Best Brand
Best Artisan Foods Campaign
Green Retailer of the Year
Best Food Export Marketing Award

Deadline for entries is Friday 11 March 2016
Cost per entry £100 ex VAT

This event is a great opportunity for well established, and up and coming companies within the food sector in Northern Ireland to enjoy valuable exposure and networking opportunities on the evening, as well as ongoing editorial coverage throughout the year in Ulster Grocer magazine.

If you want to celebrate your success in a particular area, then the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards is the perfect platform to get your message out to a very targeted audience.

The diversity of the award categories means that a wide range of companies can get involved – from food producer and food supplier, to those businesses that make up the food logistics chain.
The Awards are open to any company involved in retail grocery trading, from producers to suppliers and wholesalers, as well as individual retail outlets. The Awards are always hard fought with each category well represented and, as a result, are widely regarded as the highest marketing accolade businesses can achieve in the sector.The Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards are recognised as a mark of professionalism, and raise the profile of companies not only winning in their category but also those short-listed.

UG Marketing Awards Entry Requirements

Marketing-Awards-Entry-Form-2016

For more information, please contact Mark Beckett at Ulster Grocer
T: 028 9078 3235  E: markbeckett@greerpublications.com

Article written by Sam Butler for Farm Week.

Food innovator Peter Hannan brought beef lovers sensational flavours from his huge Himalayan Salt Chamber at Hannan Meats, his business in Moira. In addition to breaking all previous records in the highly influential UK Great Taste Awards and winning praise from most of the top food critics, his dry aged beef has captured the attention of leading chefs in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, France, Portugal and further afield.

Fortnum and Mason in London, renowned as the ‘Queen’s Grocer’, attributes a massive increase in meat sales to an exclusive deal to sell the beef from Glenarm Estate in county Antrim that he dry ages for at least 28 days in his salt chamber.

Hannan has set the standard in terms of the development of added value meat products that also ensure farmers a better return for their commitment and investment in superb animal husbandry here.

Not content to rest on his laurels and business success, Hannan has just launched a range of products using a new technique – sugar pit curing for beef and pork – that he’s developed in his search for new flavours especially for the high-end restaurants in London, Dublin, Paris and, of course, Belfast on which his business is focused. The new products make him a significant contender for this year’s Great Taste Awards.

“Our success with the Himalayan salt aged products encouraged us to look at other techniques that would offer deliciously different taste profiles,” he says.

“Foodservice is a fast moving sector in which chefs are continually seeking new tastes for their diners. Innovation, therefore, is at the core of our business. It’s the way to stay ahead of the field.

“Our focus is firmly fixed on ways that we can add value to our products and ensure the success of the business and the farmers here who supply us superb meat and pork,” he adds.

Hannan’s sugar-pit beef and bacon is already being supplied to top restaurants here and abroad.

“The first stage in the process is to dry-cure the meat such as ribs and briskets. The reason for this is to extract moisture, around 18-20 per cent. This, in turn, makes the meat like a sponge and this enables it to absorb the sugars once placed in the pit receptacle,” he explains.

“The sugar blend is a combination of three different types of sugar, to balance in perfect harmony with the saltiness of the cure. The sugar-pit product needs to be cooked at a low temperature to prevent the sugar from burning. This produces a meat that is salty, sweet, sticky and soft…and immensely tasty,” he adds.

“It’s another development from our on going dialogue with key clients, leading chefs, who talk to us regularly about new ideas and flavours for their customers. They visit us frequently in Moira to see and sample the new products that we are developing. And we value their advice and support.

“We stay ahead of competitors by working alongside our customers in the development of original meat flavours and textures,” he says.

This commitment to innovative product development has resulted in Hannan Meats becoming one most successful and respected meat processing businesses in the UK and Ireland.

It has won a series of international awards for products offering outstanding taste. These include a UK Great Taste Supreme Champion Award in 2012 and a host of other awards for its expertise in dry-ageing beef and dry-cure bacon.

The company, formed by Mr Hannan over 25 years ago, supplies products throughout the UK and Ireland. In addition, it provides meat to leading restaurants in France and, most recently, Portugal. The company employs around 40 people at its operation in Moira.

A board member of Food NI, he has also assisted many smaller food businesses and artisan enterprise to grow sales in Britain and the Republic.

Those benefiting from his business mentoring and other practical support include Dromore’s Abernethy Butter, Passion Preserved in Lisburn, Red Dog Foods in Kilkeel, Broighter Gold Rapeseed in Limavady, Shortcross Gin in Crossgar, Ewing Seafoods In Belfast, Flossie’s Fudge in Coleraine, Neary Nogs Chocolates in Newry and Moira Bakery. Many of these artisan businesses have been helped on the road to success by being listed by him in the Meat Merchant, the butchery/deli store at Hannan Meats in Moira. He’s also helped a number win business with Fortnum and Mason.

He’s also among the biggest supporters of the Year of Food and Drink initiative.

“Northern Ireland has fantastic food and drink and tremendously talented producers and chefs who deserve to be recognised and celebrated. Year of Food and Drink is helping to create greater awareness of the quality and outstanding taste of local products among consumers and chefs.”

Four Seasons at Balloo is a series of exclusive dining events planned for 2016 to celebrate Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink.

Four Michelin star chefs will guest in our kitchen to produce four unique menus, all showcasing Northern Ireland’s finest produce. Each tasting menu will be accompanied by fine wines expertly matched by Ireland’s premier wine werchant JN Wines, in an evening that promises to be a spectacular celebration of good food and wine.

Tom Kitchin Dinner – 7pm Monday 14th March

Tom is Chef / Patron of one of Scotland’s leading restaurants, the Kitchen, which has held a Michelin star since 2007. When first awarded the star Tom was only 29, making him Scotland’s youngest Michelin starred chef. Since then the restaurant has recieved many National and International awards including 4 AA rosettes.

Tickets:
5 course tasting menu with matching wines – £110.00
On sale 10am Wednesday 10th February 2016 by telephone, Balloo House: 02897 541210

Upcoming Four Seasons events:
Glynn Purnell – 23rd May 2016
Nigel Haworth – 8th August 2016
Stephen Terry – 14th November 2016