It’s always a great pleasure for me to see local farm shops and delis recognised for their outstanding contribution to the food and drink industry and especially their support for artisan and smaller food and soft drink producers here. In fact, I would argue that Northern Ireland needs more of them.

While the network of supermarkets and convenience stores makes a huge contribution to Northern Ireland’s biggest and most important manufacturing industry, many smaller food producers are never likely to be listed by the supermarkets, either because they operate in a specialist area or because of the price point of their product.  

I certainly appreciate greatly the support the supermarkets continue to provide to producers here especially in terms of the introductions they have provided – and continue to offer – to shoppers in Britain and, indeed, further afield. It is encouraging to see operators such as Tesco invest in specialist buying teams focused on local sourcing.

Smaller producers also benefit enormously from the expert advice provided readily in areas such as product quality, packaging and marketing from farm shop and deli owners.

Many companies have been helped by owners and staff of smaller stores to take steps that have helped them attract the interest of supermarkets and C-stores.

Farm shops and delis, a developing locally focused network, offer something quite different in terms of products, knowledge and advice to shoppers. Many smaller companies have also begun their retail journey with these stores. Artisan and smaller food enterprises simply couldn’t do without the support of these businesses.

The tremendous support for the industry provided by four local food stores has been recognised in shortlisting in the prestigious Farm Shop and Deli Retailer Awards 2024 in Britain that is organised by the hugely influential Grocer magazine, one of the most important ‘voices’ in Europe for food retailing and processing. The awards are showcase how smaller grocers are meeting the rigorous challenges from the supermarkets.

In the running for the awards, the winners of which will be announced at the influential Farm Shop and Deli Trade Show in early March: are Coleman’s Farm Shop and Nursery at Templepatrick, Co Antrim; McKee’s Country Store, located just outside Holywood, Co Down; Millar Meats and Food Store, Irvinestown, Co Fermanagh; and High Street Harvest in Holywood, also Co Down.

The awards, covered fully in the opposite page, are highly respected in the industry for playing an important role in supporting, and celebrating, the UK’s independent, specialist retail market.

I am also delighted to say that we’ve a track record in the awards. The top award was won last year by Cunningham’s Butchers, Food Store and Steak House in Kilkeel, the first time the award has come to Northern Ireland.

And Millar Meats has gained the Butcher of the Year title in the past. Indeed, the butchery-led enterprise has earned a series of major awards.

The awards celebrate specialist retailers and recognises their achievements in the independent sector which has had to cope with the coronavirus pandemic before the cost-of-living crisis.

And congratulations are also due to three local delis and specialist food shops listed recently as winners in the Slow Food Awards 2023 for their work for consumers. They were Indie Fude, which has delis in Belfast and Comber; Arcadia Deli and Ewing’s Fishmongers, both based in Belfast. All three are Food NI members.

Two of our members were also listed as producers to watch by the influential Artisan Food Club in Britain, a distributor of original foods to hundreds of farm shops and delis across Britain. They are: Scott’s Crispy Onions and Whoosh Asian Foods, both from Coleraine. Congratulations to them on this significant recognition.

We’re delighted to announce the opening of the Grow with Aldi Programme 2024, which they are now seeking applications for.

The Grow with Aldi programme is an opportunity for producers to get their products on sale in all Aldi stores, with full support and mentorship from the Grow team and Bord Bia / Invest NI along the way.

The programme is open to all small / medium suppliers and offers the opportunity to have your branded product listed as a specialbuy in all 161 stores in Ireland (Don’t let the store numbers frighten you, Aldi will work with suppliers to ensure you can supply).

Aldi’s Grow team and Bord Bia / Invest NI will mentor from the start to the end of the supply process ensuring you get to showcase your product in all Aldi stores. This is a fantastic opportunity for any supplier wanting to push their product forward and reach a large customer base and have your product in front of customers in every corner of Ireland!

The first simple step is to fill in the attached application form and return to grow@aldi.ie

Food from two Coleraine artisan producers have been named ‘brands to watch’ in 2024 by a UK distributor to hundreds of delis and farm shops.

The companies – Scott’s Crispy Onions in Aghadowey and Whoosh Asian snack pots in nearby Coleraine has won the backing for the influential Artisan Food Club, which is based in Somerset and specialises in the supply of food and drink products from smaller suppliers.

Scott’s Crispy Onions introduced the product and has gone on to supply it to retailers here, in Britain and parts of Europe, the most recent market being Denmark.

Whoosh has developed into a leading in Asian snack meals for dining at home, takeaway and retail. The company also included Selfridges in London among its customers.

Both are Food NI members.

Marcus Carter formed the Artisan Food Club in 2012 “to search out exciting new artisan food and drink brands”.  It was based on his conviction that there were thousands of delicious food and drink products being made by talented artisan producers across the UK. Whilst the quality of the products couldn’t be questioned, many were untested beyond the farmers’ market, and were being overlooked by traditional wholesalers, which were only able to work with brands that had a proven sales background.

Fermanagh spirits maker The Boatyard Distillery, a Food  NI member,  has achieved huge recognition on the Drinks International Annual report for 2024.

Now in its 15^th year, the Drinks International Annual report is a snapshot of the buying habits of the world’s best bars. It is largely seen globally as a great barometer of the movers and shakers in the spirits world.  This important recognition received directly from the industry is evidence that Boatyard’s organic and sustainable spirits are advancing on the world stage as sought after liquid. 

Drinks International commenting on the overall 2024 Bartenders Choice says “The sole debutant this year is Boatyard which, under the guidance of commercial director Declan McGurk, has infiltrated the top tier of hospitality in the last couple of years”

Commercial director at Boatyard, Declan McGurk said “I am so thrilled for us to be gaining this recognition and thank the bar professionals that believe in what we are doing. I am a big believer that a spirit brand is best built by putting the bottles into the finest bartenders hands, so that they can then inspire consumer growth. This recognition is testament to what the bar industry think of Boatyard and gives us great momentum for growth, as we look to expand in markets and stature.”

Founder of Boatyard Joe McGirr adds: “We are incredibly honoured to be recognised so highly across the 2024 Annual report.  We owe a huge amount of thanks to all the bartenders and partners globally who work with Boatyard and believe in our liquid. Declan and our whole team have done an incredible job producing and bringing our spirits onto the global stage.”

In 2023 The Boatyard Distillery has come the first distillery on the island of Ireland to become B corp certified and also awarded Northern Ireland sustainable company of the year at the 2023 Business Eye awards.

Award-winning chocolate maker NearyNógs, a UK and Ireland leader in stoneground chocolates, has created a series of innovative treats in collaboration with local whiskey producers.

The family enterprise, which is owned and run by husband and wife team Shane and Dorothy Neary, has become a first call for leading distilleries such as Old Bushmills in Co. Antrim, Co Down’s Hinch, near Ballynahinch, and Killowen in Rostrevor, and independent whiskey blender Two Stacks in Newry.

The artisan chocolate maker, which also counts iconic London store Fortnum and Mason among its high-profile customers, has created gourmet chocolates for the whiskey producers including handcrafted truffles and a luxury bar from the finest ingredients.

The company produced an ‘Old Fashioned’ bar for Bushmills of 70 percent chocolate that was crafted from beans sourced from a single estate in Ecuador, Shane explains. “We loved collaborating with the whiskey producers on separate and highly creative projects,” he adds.

The project for Bushmills was a revival of a traditional chocolate bar with other premium ingredients such as Orange Bitters, a blend of tropical oranges and spices, brown sugar and rich cacao beans from Ecuador’s Limon region. The beans were stoneground at NearyNógs and then blended with the other luxury ingredients.

Chocolate truffles for the other projects also featured unique recipes using the beans from Ecuador. Irish double cream liqueur from Two Stacks was used in truffles.

“The projects gave us an opportunity to work with the producers on handcrafting original and luxury taste experiences for their customers,” continues Shane.

The chocolate maker, in addition, has collaborated with Whitewater Brewery in Castlewellan, Co Down on chocolates featuring its award-winning Belfast Black Stout for a deeper and fuller taste.

NearyNógs operates from a fully-equipped workshop in the Mournes that also features a visitor centre for tourists and other callers. In addition to this activity, the chocolate maker has a strong relationship with the nearby Killowen Distillery, a craft producer of whiskey, gin, rum and poitin, on truffles and events throughout the year such as whiskey and chocolate workshops. 

A blend of social media and conventional face-to-face marketing led to Scott’s Crispy Onions of Aghadowey, Co Derry signing up significant new business opportunities in Britain.

The family-owned and managed enterprise is now supplying its wide range of crispy onions, a product it pioneered, to the influential Artisan Food Club at Babington in Somerset, a major internet-led supplier of artisan foods to independent retailers throughout Britain.

Jodie Brown, sales and marketing manager at Scott’s, explains: “We originally followed Marcus Carter, the founder of the Artisan Food Club, on Instagram and had become interested in his innovative company. We thought the concept behind the business was brilliant.

“We then noticed that Marcus was listed to attend a food and drink showcase here organised by Invest NI and decided to invite him to call at our stand, which he promised to do.

“He sampled our crispy onions on the stand and spent time talking to us about the products and his business. Marcus absolutely loved the product and was keen to get them listed on his website,” adds Jodie. Scott’s Crispy is a FoodNI member.

 The show led to an account being agreed that listed all five flavours of the retail packs of Scott’s Crispy Onions, meaning customers in England, Scotland and Wales can purchase them via Artisan Food Club. They then ship directly to them

 “We have only just set up the account and have already received orders over the internet from new customers in Britain. Marcus will work to increase awareness of the brand there and how the product can be used,” Jodie says.

Marcus Carter formed the Artisan Food Club in 2012 “to search out exciting new artisan food and drink brands”.  It was based on his conviction that there were thousands of delicious food and drink products being made by talented artisan producers across the UK. Whilst the quality of the products couldn’t be questioned, many were untested beyond the farmers’ market, and were being overlooked by traditional wholesalers, which were only able to work with brands that had a proven sales background.

This was a situation that didn’t benefit anyone, especially not consumers or Independent retailers who were stuck selling the same products as the shop down the road. For the customer, the shopping experience was lacking, and many artisans struggled to grow their businesses.

A passion “to help independent food companies have a voice’  has been the driving force behind many of his ventures and is now the primary aim of the Artisan Food Club.

Over the next few years Marcus, who grew up in North Wales and developed experience in farming, agricultural management and food production, worked closely with independent retailers, to enable them to try these exciting new brands risk-free.

Feedback was positive as retailers saw footfall and basket spend grow, consumers enjoyed all the exciting new brands and flavours, and the artisans working with the Artisan Food Club, saw their weekend passions grow into sustainable businesses.

He knows about the challenges of small food businesses and in food production from a BBQ sauce venture. Armed with this knowledge and experience, Marcus subsequently created ‘Carter Food House’, a national wholesaler to butchers and fish shops and the ‘Virtual Farmers Market’, an online sales platform for artisan producers, the latter leading to Artisan Food Club.

Leading independent retailers, now customers of the business, include Selfridges and Partridges, both in central London, Cobbs in Scotland and Stoneleigh in England.

The listing is regarded by Scott’s Crispy Onions as another significant presence in its targeted market of large and small retailers in Great Britain. It’s a marketing drive which is beginning to yield substantial sales for its products that include convenient snack pots and the first gluten-free crispy onions. The handy snack pots now account for around 15 percent of its business, reflecting its longstanding commitment to innovation in products and customer-focused marketing.

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The crispy onions, furthermore, have been exported to major supermarkets and independents in the Netherlands, Denmark and even as far as Australia.

The company, which employs around 20 people, began producing unique ready-to-eat crispy onions in 2013.  The onions, which can be eaten hot or cold, are produced fresh daily to ensure consistent restaurant quality for both professional chefs and home cooks.

As well as being essentially plant-based, the crispy onions are suitable for vegans and vegetarians and are now also gluten-free.

The company hand-peels, seasons and cooks the onions to ensure consistent product quality. The crispy onions do not contain any artificial colours or preservatives.  They are cooked in rapeseed oil and are low in saturated fat. Rapeseed oil is a key source of Omega 3, containing around ten times more than olive oil.