Retailer kicks off year-long celebration of local food and drink

Tesco Northern Ireland today announced a jam packed programme to the value of half a million pounds, providing a platform for the local food and drinks industry to engage with the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 initiative led by NI Food and TourismNI.

The year-long programme, which includes established local suppliers and artisan producers will include in-store food fairs, multi-store sampling, radio and press advertising, PR and media support as well as the highly anticipated annual Taste Northern Ireland Festival, set to be the biggest and best yet.

Today’s launch event brought together the great and good of local food and drink at Tesco Northern Ireland’s flagship Extra store at Knocknagoney, and was officiated by Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Permanent Secretary, Noel Lavery, on behalf of the Minister.

Noel Lavery said: “Year of Food &Drink 2016 is an opportunity to celebrate our food and drink successes and capitalise on these through trade and consumer communications. It is also an opportunity to harness the benefits of these successes to drive quality, innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in our food and drink sector. The north of Ireland will gain greater benefits via increased visitor satisfaction and spend, as well as increased demand for export sales. The strength of the north’s food producers and the stories behind them will continue to be the foundations of this success.

“I welcome Tesco’s commitment to the local agri-food sector which has seen an increase in annual investment from £50m in 1997 to £550m in 2015. Major investments in locally-sourced produce demonstrate the potential to build long-term sustainable supply chains on this island.

“The Year of Food and Drink 2016 is an opportunity to provide a platform for sharing the supply chain story from primary producer through to consumer and to show the strength of our agri-food industry as a whole.

“I commend Tesco in fully embracing the opportunities that the Year of Food & Drink 2016 will provide and am pleased to launch their year long programme of activities that will provide a key engagement platform for our local food and drinks industry.’’

The event saw Tesco customers able to sample an array of products from local iconic brands such as Punjana and Irwins, provided networking opportunities and discussions facilitated between producers and industry bodies, a parade of local food company mascots, as well as a surprise performance by the Belfast Community Gospel Choir.

Brendan Guidera, Store Director for Tesco Northern Ireland, said: “The Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink is a celebration of everything that is delicious here and what’s more it pays homage to our local food and drinks businesses – an industry that is truly bolstering the Northern Irish economy and one that is gaining more support than ever before from customers keen to support local businesses.

“We know from research and ongoing feedback that our customers are choosing local produce where and when they can and know that at Tesco, they can not only buy more local products than anywhere else in Northern Ireland, but can also be confident in the knowledge that we truly support and encourage food and drink businesses to succeed. As the number one champion of local products, we wanted to be sure we got behind this fantastic initiative for the Province and planned a programme worthy of the quality of produce on offer, the hard work and commitment of our suppliers and the needs of our customers.”

Michele Shirlow, CEO of Food NI, said: “It’s great to see so many of Food and Drink’s leading industry figures in one spot, to launch what is set to be a stellar year for Northern Ireland. The initiative is designed to celebrate our quality produce, the businesses behind the success stories and the platform being provided by Tesco Northern Ireland does exactly that, and more by facilitating maximum engagement between the suppliers, consumers and industry bodies. The programme Tesco has put in place is testament to the retailer’s ongoing and unparalleled support for NI Food and Drink businesses and will give the initiative the boost it needs.”

Squeeze Wheatgrass from Warrenpoint, Co Down which won one of the first Good Choice! Quality Food Awards in the UK has launched its new product range to coincide with the start of NI Year of Food and Drink 2016.
Squeeze Wheatgrass shots were recognized in the Healthy Juice category of the Quality Food awards as one of the very best ‘free from’ and ‘healthy option’ food and drinks available in the UK.
Jacquelyn Stewart from Squeeze Wheatgrass has been producing the 30ml Ready to Drink Wheatgrass shots since 2011. The company has strived to bring Wheatgrass into the 21st Century by working with the Agri Food and Biosciences Institute to develop a method of keeping the Wheatgrass juice in its most natural state without deterioration in flavour or nutrition or the addition of preservatives or additives.
Whilst most people recognize the nutritional properties of Wheatgrass juice, its grassy taste is not to everyone’s liking. Assisted by InvestNI, through its Innovation Voucher Programme, Squeeze Wheatgrass have developed three flavoured Wheatgrass shots unique to this company. Each juice flavour has been carefully selected for the “extra” health benefits it will bring to the Wheatgrass juice. The new “flavoured” wheatgrass shots have a 6-week shelf life.

The three juices which has been added to the Wheatgrass juice are:-

• Beetroot Juice -which has been gaining in popularity as a new super food due to recent studies claiming that beets and beetroot juice can improve athletic performance, lower blood pressure and increase blood flow. Choline is a very important and versatile nutrient in beetroot that helps with sleep, muscle movement, learning and memory.
• Apple & Pear Juice – which contain a kind of sugar called fructose. The benefit of fructose, as compared to sucrose, is that it metabolizes slower and does not create a spike in blood sugar levels in the way that sucrose does. Apples and Pears are a source of phytochemicals of the flavonoid family called quercetin. Quercetin is a powerful antioxidant and many studies have shown how its anti-inflammatory properties can help with a variety of health issues.
• Orange and Lemon Juice – citrus fruits are the sole source of a group of flavonoids called flavanones. According to research published in the August 2008 issue of the “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry,” citrus flavonoids prevent the formation of new cancers by blocking carcinogenic agents, and they lower blood pressure and prevent disease-causing inflammation.

Squeeze Wheatgrass have already secured a listing for the new products with online food market place TheFoodMarket.com whose aim is to only have products available on their marketplace site that contain no rubbish, are made with high quality, natural ingredients and can prove where they come from. www.thefoodmarket.com
The new flavoured Wheatgrass shots are also available to buy online at the company’s own website www.squeezewheatgrass.co.uk and will be added to their existing listing with Yumbles.com, another indie food online store.

Margaret Cooper recently landed a sizeable contract to supply products to a leading hamper business. And the deal with Baskets Galore in nearby Bangor has led Margaret to move from her home into a small production unit in Bangor that will enable her to meet the growing demand for her highly rated jams and chutneys.

You’ll still find Margaret pitching for business at farmers’ markets around the province. This is because she loves the direct contact with shoppers that provides useful feedback about her product range. It’s an interest that has been influenced by a lengthy and successful career in sales especially in the intensely competitive insurance business. “I love meeting people and talking to them about my jams, relishes and chutneys. I have found that shoppers are increasingly seeking to know what goes into the jams and who makes them. Provenance is now a very big thing with shoppers,” she says.

“It’s important to me to hear what they think and their ideas for other products. I wouldn’t want to lose this engagement. I really don’t mind manning my stall when the weather is awful as it has been over the past month. The banter with shoppers is great fun. Sales have also been good at country markets such as the monthly one in Comber. I find that shoppers are really keen to talk about their favourite food and to hear how I make my jams and chutneys.

“There’s also great camaraderie with other stall holders at markets. We exchange ideas and pass on customers,” she says.

All Margaret’s products are hand crafted, the fruit and other ingredients cut by hand. “The order from Baskets Galore meant I needed more space and led me to find a small unit at Balloo in Bangor. It’s given me more room for handcrafting the products,” she adds. “I just couldn’t continue working from home in Donaghadee. There just wasn’t enough space. The new unit will also give me more scope to grow the business and to meet the increasing demand from retailers as well as market shoppers.”

She moved into the unit on the outskirts of Bangor in August and began kitting out the premises with the necessary cooking and packaging machinery. The products remain handcrafted.

She’s caught the eye of buyers at Hastings Hotels Group, a longstanding supporter of local food and drink, and now supplies her unique breakfast marmalade to the leading hospitality business. Other high-end clients include the award winning Pier 36 restaurant in her hometown.

A native of Ayrshire in Scotland, Margaret has been resident in Northern Ireland for 30 years. Marriage brought her here and to a career in sales. She started making fudge as “a bit of a hobby”, she says. “It was a Scottish-style tablet fudge and was popular with family and friends.”

This led Margaret to look at other products in her home kitchen. “I had grown up in Scotland watching my mother and grandmother making their own jams and fruit jellies. I decided to explore opportunities and to develop my own recipes. Family and friends were again supportive and suggested I should start selling them at local fairs and markets,” she adds. Which she did successfully.

She set up her small artisan business in 2012 and settled on the “Made with Love” brand to reflect her own commitment to quality and richly flavoured jams and chutneys.

“I’ve always loved cooking and entertaining,” she continues. “I enjoy making the products and take great care to ensure the very best ingredients. It’s a genuine labour of love,” Margaret says. “I know it’s an intensely competitive part of the business but I believe that my products have what it takes for success. It’s because they are different.

“What I am doing is to develop a unique product range that now stretches to 22 including chilli jam, which is proving very popular with shoppers, along with a plum and vanilla jam. In addition, I’ve launched ‘Christmas in a Jar’, a quite different blend of tasty ingredients for the festive season. I am also using my experience in sales over 30 years to help me in developing the business.”

She’s also being assisted by second husband Tony and grandson Finlay at markets around Northern Ireland. Tony also helps with delivering the products to customers around the province. “It’s a real family business,” Margaret adds.

What does the future hold for Made with Love? “The contract with Baskets Galore is a marvellous boost for me and a great endorsement of the business. I want to build on this and grow sales especially in Northern Ireland. The business from Baskets Galore will see our products going throughout the UK and further afield. I’d hope that this will lead to approaches from customers both here and abroad.”

Yardsman Original Double Stout is an ode to Belfast’s heritage of quality craft brewing

Hercules Brewing Company – Belfast’s first craft brewery and creators of Yardsman Lager – has added to its growing portfolio, with the launch of a new craft Irish stout.

Yardsman Original Double Stout, which will be sold exclusively in draught form, is the fourth product to be launched by the brewery in the 18 months since its launch.

Reflecting growth in the craft market in the region and responding to increasing consumer demand for craft brews, Hercules Brewing Company has steadily increased its portfolio since its launch in February 2014 and now includes Yardsman Lager, Yardsman IPA, Yardsman Belfast Pale Ale, alongside the new Yardsman Original Double Stout.

Hercules Brewing Company was the first craft brewery to open in Belfast in over 100 years and builds on a tradition of brewing in Belfast, which dates back to 1855. Situated at the heart of Belfast’s Harbour, the brewery employs seven full time staff and can produce up to one million bottles of craft beer per year. Capacity of the brewery has now increased to three times its original size.

The Yardsman range is supplied to premium restaurants and bars across Northern Ireland, as well as independent off licenses. Whilst the focus is currently on building the brand in the domestic markets in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, plans are on the horizon to export the Yardsman, range, with distribution arrangements now in place in the U.S., Mainland Europe, Scotland and England.

Following months of testing and a four week wait for the perfect small batch brew, Yardsman Original Double Stout is now pouring in a selection of bars and restaurants across Northern Ireland. As with all Yardsman brews, only the finest, best quality Irish ingredients are used in Yardsman Original Double Stout.

Niall McMullan, Managing Director of Hercules Brewing Company, commented; ‘Hercules Brewing Company puts craft and local at the heart of everything we do and Yardsman Original Double Stout is no different. We have been waiting on this brew to develop for months so it is very exciting for us to finally reveal this unique, quality stout.

“It is our first stout, following our successful Yardsman Lager, BPA, IPA and we are confident that stout lovers in Belfast and beyond will taste our craft in every sip. The fresh, quality ingredients in our brew set us apart from other stouts and truly represent the craft of brewing. I have always wanted to share quality, local, craft brews with the region and so am particularly pleased that the Yardsman line has been received so well. ’

It takes Yardsman Master Brewers almost four weeks to craft the perfect pint. The stout is brewed with freshly roasted barley and a range of high quality coloured malts, as well as Irish hops and water and is filtered through Irish linen. The stout is nitrogenated, which creates the undeniably creamy white head and a settled, clear but dark ruby black body.

As with all products in the Yardsman range, Yardsman Original Double Stout is completely free from all chemicals, preservatives, stabilisers and animal bi-products and only is brewed using the four natural ingredients of hops, barley, water and yeast, making it completely vegan friendly.

The full bodied, colourful Yardsman Original Double Stout has a strong creamy texture and delicious aroma yet is light and refreshing to drink. It has a velvety smooth finish with a full mouth feel of delicate chocolate and coffee flavours. Its rich colour and clarity comes from doubling the amount of coloured malts used in the brew. The stout is exceptionally well balanced, exceptionally smooth and has a lingering delicate sweetness on the palate.

Yardsman Original Double Stout is now pouring at select premier bars and restaurants across Northern Ireland including The Hudson Bar, Oh Yeah Centre, The Black Box and Bittles Bar in Belfast, as well as The Millennium Forum in Derry-Londonderry.

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