Northern Ireland’s leading local bakery has secured a deal to supply its Rankin Selection range of traditional Irish breads, including soda farls, potato farls, stone-ground wheaten, to LuLu Group in Abu Dhabi, one of the biggest retailers in the Gulf states.

The contract, worth an initial six-figure amount, was announced by Brendan Lappin, Irwin’s Bakery Business Development Manager, and welcomed by Dr Vicky Kell, Invest NI Trade Director, during a visit to the company at Carn Business Park in Portadown.

Dr Kell said: “This very important contract for Irwin’s Bakery is an excellent example of an ambitious local company seizing the business opportunity provided by our strategic focus on identifying markets of potential for Northern Ireland food companies and then bringing relevant international food buyers to meet local food producers and to see and sample the quality, innovation, heritage and, of course, safety underpinning our products.

“LuLu set Irwin’s quite a test in terms of delivery of the products, which this very professional and progressive company has achieved. It’s great to know that the traditional breads which we tend to take for granted here are now being enjoyed in the Gulf, set apart by their outstanding flavours and serving versatility.”

Mr Lappin said: “This is a very significant contract for Irwin’s with one of the biggest and most successful retailers in the Gulf, which gives us a solid platform for further growth in a very dynamic marketplace. It’s a market that we’ve been targeting for some time and is the result of ongoing discussion over the past 18 months, which followed meetings with LuLu in Northern Ireland arranged by Invest NI.

“The Rankin Selection range will be on sale in an initial eight LuLu supermarkets within 24 hours of leaving the bakery in Portadown – a significant logistics operation involving a distributor in Liverpool. The supermarket asked us if we could provide the bread as fresh as possible and we’ve been able to meet the challenge.

“As well as the Rankin Selection breads, we are providing Jammy Joey and Snowy Joey cakes from our Howell’s Handmade subsidiary. Initially all the bread and cakes will be available in eight stores but these outlets are strategically placed close to LuLu Group headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Our aim is to build the business steadily and to widen the customer base beyond the ex-pat community.

“Invest NI’s assistance to expand our international sales to Abu Dhabi has been tremendously important. Hosting visits to Northern Ireland from key procurement managers from supermarkets, such as LuLu, is proving to be a very successful initiative for companies such as Irwin’s, which are keen to grow sales outside Northern Ireland,” he added.

 

FoodNI member, Moy Park will create 628 new jobs in Northern Ireland across Ballymena, Craigavon and Dungannon. The job positions plan to be created over the course of the next four years in various parts of the business. As part of a £170million expansion, the jobs will relate to food processing, management and financial services. This should add a total of £10.5million of wages into the economy of Northern Ireland, creating salaries at an average of £17,000.

The development will improve the contribution that Moy Park, part of the Marfrig Group, creates towards the Northern Ireland economy. It is hoped that there will be a considerable increase in sales figures, creating further opportunities for growth.

The Farm Shop & Deli Awards, in partnership with Olives Et Al are to recognise excellence within the speciality retail market. If you are an independent retailer selling regional fresh/farm produce or with a delicatessen counter… these awards are for you!

The Farm Shop & Deli Awards, have been launched to recognise the very best standards in speciality retail and to celebrate the highest levels of service, product knowledge, initiative, innovation and community involvement.

Category Awards Include:

•Farm Shop of the Year

•Deli of the Year

•Butcher of the Year

•Baker of the Year

•Greengrocer of the Year

•Cheesemonger of the Year

•Fishmonger of the Year

•Market of the Year

•Online business of the Year

•Food hall of the Year

•Garden Centre of the Year

•Local shop of the Year

•Retail Group of the Year

 

To enter, simply apply by category which is determined by the primary focus of your business.

There are 13 categories to enter under:

•Farm Shop

•Delicatessen

•Baker

•Butcher

•Cheesemonger

•Garden Centre

•Greengrocer

•Fishmonger

•Food Hall

•Online Business

•Local Shop

•Market

•Retail Group

 

All entries must be submitted online at www.farmshopanddeliawards.co.uk, or via an entry form sent by prepaid post or courier in each case to arrive no later than 5.00 p.m. on Saturday 28th September.

For more information, please visit http://www.farmshopanddelishow.co.uk/about?campaignkw=About

A County Down family farm, which is the only one on the island of Ireland able to grow and market its own range of oilseeds, has just sold its millionth bottle of its award-winning oils.

 

Harnett’s Oils, based in Waringstown is the only producer of Hemp oil in Ireland and was able to achieve this milestone after it started commercial production onsite in 2002.

 

The farm has been in owned by the Harnett family since 1656 and its customers come from across the island of Ireland, as well as America, France and Spain on account of its online shop, www.harnettsoils.com. The company was even one of a small range of local artisan food companies invited to showcase their products at a recent supplier event organised through Taste of Ulster at the House of Commons.

 

Young farmer, Jane Harnett who heads up the business, says it’s very much a family affair, with her parents Ann and Michael and also her brother Will heavily involved.

 

She said; “I feel it is our strong family network that has made producing and marketing the oil so successful. We started small and obtained customers through trade shows, word of mouth and local promotion, however, as consumers became more educated about the health benefits of pure oil, and in particular Hemp and Rapeseed, we have been able to tap into this rapidly expanding market. Also, due to the size of our press, we are attracting attention from major supermarkets that need large volumes produced.”

 

Once grown, the production, bottling and packaging also takes place onsite. Oilseeds are cold-pressed to produce virgin oil and then filtered producing extra-virgin oil, which is either bottled direct or flavoured or added to produce a range of dressings.

 

Miss Harnett added; “We are best known for our Rapeseed and Hemp oils and this is what our hospitality clients, as well as the general public regularly buy from us. We have also diversified our core product range to encompass vinaigrettes and flavoured infused oils, and we have seen a spike in sales, particular in St George’s Market –where we have a weekend stall. The future is very exciting for us as we have plans to aggressively target European and International markets.”

 

The most popular products in the standard range is the Rapeseed oil and in the flavoured oils it is the Chilli and Garlic and the Raspberry vinaigrette in the dressings.

*Credit to Pulse PR

SHU claims Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland for third year running: Lisburn Road restaurant SHU has claimed the ‘Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland’title for the third year in a row at the 2014 National Restaurant Awards – the industry’s most important annual event.

The popular Belfast eatery ranked 76th in the UK, moving up ten places from 2013, at the prestigious industry event which celebrates the 100 best places to eat out in the UK, as voted for by 150 strong National Restaurant Awards Academy, made up of the country’s top industry experts

Judges were impressed by the innovative menu created by Head Chef Brian McCann and by the consistency of service and hospitality provided by Restaurant Manager Julian Henry’s front of house team.

Owned by restaurateur Alan Reid, SHU is the first restaurant in Northern Ireland to claim the prestigious accolade for three years running and the team are understandably delighted to once again be the only Northern Ireland restaurant recognised in the top 100 listing.

Reid and Henry collected the award last night at a glittering ceremony held at the Hurlingham Club London. The hat trick of success reinforces the restaurant’s position as one of the country’s shining stars in the industry.

Reid commented: “We are delighted and humbled to have once again been awarded Best Restaurant in Northern Ireland. To be ranked in the UK’s top 100 restaurants is such a huge honour for every one of us. I am so pleased for our team as the accolade is a testament to the hard work they all put in on a daily basis to maintain the high standards we have set ourselves to create an exceptional guest experience.”