|
The agri-food sector in Northern Ireland is one of the
most important contributors to the Northern Ireland
economy in terms of revenue and employment and is
Northern Ireland’s largest manufacturing industry. In
2009 the industry was worth £3.2billion and exports grew
by an impressive 27% to £876million (2008).
An estimated 19,197 are employed full-time in the food
processing industry, accounting for almost one quarter
of total employment in manufacturing in Northern
Ireland. Across the supply chain up to 92,000 people are
employed.
The Northern Ireland food processing industry comprises
a diverse range of business operations, from small
scale, family-owned food production and processing
enterprises with a domestic or niche market orientation,
to larger firms focused on the national/international
retail and foodservice markets, to large multinational
companies. The Top 10 Food and Drink companies account
for 47% of the industry’s turnover.
Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s main economic
development agency, has a dedicated Food Division which
delivers fully integrated and responsive services to
over 350 local food and drink companies including advice
on account management, design, product development,
packaging, supply chain and productivity.
Food companies can also call upon the expertise of other
Invest NI divisions, such as Innovation, Technology,
People Development and Strategic Development. This
holistic approach has created a remarkable support
system that is equally capable of assisting single owner
operators as it is in supporting major companies in the
Northern Irish food and drink sector.
Practical support schemes range from assistance to
export through trade missions and exhibitions and ‘meet
the buyer’ events with key buyers in both food retailing
and food services to business development programmes
including help to companies in achieving essential
quality accreditations demanded by major retailers.
Among the most successful initiatives is the Food Sector
Marketing Advisers scheme that is helping Northern
Ireland companies increase business in GB and the
Republic of Ireland.
Four Food Sector Marketing Advisers utilise market
knowledge and their network of contacts to assist local
companies pinpoint and secure new orders by brokering
face-to-face interviews between the companies and food
retailers including multiple chains and organisations
supplying restaurants, hotels, cafes and canteens. They
also support Invest NI’s programme of ‘meet the buyer’
events. These events have brought key buyers from Great
Britain, the Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe,
the US and India to Northern Ireland for one-to-one
meetings with local food companies.
The Meet the Buyer events have been a very successful
initiative. In total Invest NI has co-ordinated over
1300 individual NI Food & Drink company and buyer
engagements in the last 3 years and secured new business
listings in these important markets for almost 180 local
companies, representing more than 630 individual new
products, including many from small businesses artisan
producers.
www.buynifood.com – Invest NI’s dedicated food and drink
web site features over 200 Northern Ireland food and
drink companies across a range of sectors including
Baked Goods, Confectionery, Dairy, Dried Goods, Drink,
Fish, Food Service Providers, Fresh Produce, Meat and
Non Food.
This site, created solely for buyers, is easy-to-use and
navigate and is an invaluable research tool and resource
for any buyer seeking Northern Ireland produce. It has
been designed specifically for buyers and registration
on the site is relatively straight forward.
Invest NI’s Food and Drink Sector Tendering Programme
and alert service has been designed to encourage and
assist local food and drink companies to compete more
effectively for substantial public sector contracts in
the RoI. As well as business in the Republic and Great
Britain, the marketing initiative is now yielding orders
from the US.
Invest NI’s Food Sector Marketing Advisers for the UK
and Republic of Ireland markets include: Robin Barnett
T: 078 1717 3513, E:robin.barnett@invetni.com;
Michelle Charrington T: 078 1717 3514, E:
michelle.charrington@investni.com;
Karl Devlin (Scotland / North England) Mob: 07767
393316, E:karl.devlin@investni.com;
Shane McArdle in the Republic of Ireland, Mob: 07817
173516, E:shane.mcardle@investni.com
Nearly two thirds of food and drink from Northern
Ireland is now bought by retailers and food service
organisations in other parts of the UK and increasingly
further afield.
Buyers in virtually all the leading grocery retailers,
including Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda, Waitrose and Morrisons,
now look regularly to Northern Ireland for a broad range
of fresh, frozen, chilled and processed products, from
fresh meat, dairy and bakery to ready meals, convenience
foods. Niche products are also to be found in the food
halls at Harrods, Fortnum and Mason, Liberty and Harvey
Nichols.
Northern Ireland’s reputation as a source of quality
foods is also spreading worldwide. Wal-Mart, Safeway,
Carrefour, Auchan, SuperCor, Spinneys, Mercadona are
among a growing list of international retailers shopping
regularly in the region. Dutch supermarket chain Albert
Heijn is a longstanding customer particularly for beef
and lamb from Northern Ireland farms.
The region can point justifiably to a great many success
stories – red meat being bought by Europe’s top
retailers; cheese and tea going to the US; porridge oats
to the Arabian Gulf and Hong Kong; dried fruit and nut
snacks to Singapore, Dubai, the Netherlands and
Switzerland; pork sausages, health foods and toasted
oats to Spain; milk powder to China, Africa and Central
America; coffee to the US, Saudi Arabia and North
Africa; potato crisps to Australia; and dry cured bacon
to Belgium.
Northern Ireland food has also won generous plaudits for
taste and wholesomeness from top international chefs
including Nick Stein, Heston Blumenthal and Richard
Corrigan.
Alcoholic Beverages & Beer
Armagh Cider Company is owned by Philip and Helen
Troughton of Ballinteggart House, outside Portadown. The
Troughton family have been growing apples there for four
generations since 1898. The first cider from Armagh
Cider Company was introduced to the market in January
2006 as ‘Carsons Cider’, but the company has evolved
over the past four years and its product range has been
substantially enhanced in response to consumer demand.
'Carsons Crisp' Armagh Cider: Formerly known as 'Carsons'.
It is a refreshing, traditional cider made using apples
grown in the orchards of County Armagh. Unlike many
ciders it is produced exclusively from fresh pressed
apples and contains no artificial flavours, colours or
ingredients.
Winner of Bronze and Gold Medals in the International
Cider Challenge for Taste and Packaging Available in
500ml glass bottles in cases of 12.
'Maddens Mellow' Armagh Cider: This cider was launched
in summer 2010, and is ideal for those who prefer a
slightly sweeter cider. This is a traditional, full
flavoured cider made using apples grown in County
Armagh. Like Carsons Crisp it is produced exclusively
from fresh pressed apples and contains no artificial
ingredients. Winner of 2 Silver medals in the
International Cider Challenge for Taste and Packaging.
Available in 500ml glass bottles in cases of 12.
'Mollys Mulled Cider':Much loved by everyone, it
combines Carsons Crisp Cider with the secret spice blend
to create a delicious alternative to Mulled Wine. Mollys
Mulled Cider is available in 750ml glass in cases of 12
and can also be supplied in Bulk containers for
catering.
Boozeberries
Artisan liqueur company Boozeberries was originally
founded in County Carlow about six years ago and had
quietly build-up a reputation in the Irish market – a
proven testing ground for so many brands that are now
global, including Bailey’s. Barbara Hughes and her
husband Stuart, who are based in Dromore, County Down,
bought the business in May 2010 and are actively seeking
to grow their distribution in throughout the UK, Ireland
and further afield.
There are currently three flavours of Boozeberries –
Zesty Blackcurrant, Wild Blueberry and Wild Cranberry.
The blackcurrants and blueberries are grown in Ireland
–the blueberries are actually growing wild in the
Wicklow Mountains, where they are known as bilberries
and are slightly smaller than the North American
blueberry.
Production is supplied by a specialist liqueur company
in Ireland to unique recipes, using a mellow Irish grain
spirit. Each bottle is hand-made - berries are placed in
the bottle and topped with spirit. The bottled is then
corked, sealed and left to infuse for about four months.
During this time the spirit takes on the colour, aroma
and intense flavour of the berries in a totally natural
way.
Unlike so many competitor berry liqueurs which are made
from pureed fruit, syrups or other flavourings, what
really sets Boozeberries apart is the fact that tie
company uses whole fruit, which remains in the bottle.
Not only does this add to the appearance of the liqueur
in the bottle or glass, as well to the flavour, all the
berries are edible, which definitely adds to the
experience of drinking Boozeberries.
Delicious on their own as an after-dinner liqueur or
with ice as a pre-dinner aperitif, Boozeberries are
hugely versatile and can be included in cocktails, mixed
with Champagne, Prosecco or white wine and even as part
of a dessert – they are simply divine poured over ice
cream! As they are also virtually fat-free, they also
have great appeal with ladies watching their weight!
With an ABV of 17%, Boozeberries retail in the off-trade
at around ?12.99 / Euro 16.99 for 350ml. The product
range has been recommended by John and Sally McKenna’s
highly respected and influential Bridgestone Guide for
the last four years.
Boozeberries has picked up a clutch of awards at food
and drink shows, and has been honored with celebrity
chef and 5 star restaurant endorsements.
Bushmills in County Antrim is home to Ireland’s oldest
working distillery and the only distillery in Ireland to
make triple-distilled malt whiskey. The brand portfolio
includes five award-winning whiskeys: Bushmills, Black
Bush, Bushmills 10 year Malt, 16 year Malt and 21 year
Malt. In 2008 Bushmills celebrated its 400th anniversary
with the release of a limited edition Irish whiskey of
exceptional smoothness, Bushmills 1608. Bushmills Irish
Whiskey is owned by Diageo, the world’s leading premium
drinks business.
Danny Boy
In 2005, Peter Lavery launched the Danny Boy Collection
and trade name. Just like the famous and much loved
melody, Danny Boy 15 Year Old Irish Malt Whiskey
consists of a rare whiskey carefully selected from stock
set aside for its outstanding character. This
magnificent Irish Malt Whiskey is matured in the finest
American White oak casks, adding a fresh sweet flavour
to the whiskey and is distilled at the Cooley
Distillery, near Carlingford in the Republic. Cooley,
Ireland’s only independent distillery. This run is
strictly limited to 2,500 bottles and is available
exclusively via the Danny Boy Collection website at
www.dannyboy.ie .
Also distilled in the Cooley Distillery, Danny Boy
Premium Blend whiskey is a blend of four and five year
old grain and malted barley, a rare whiskey carefully
selected from stock set aside for its outstanding
character. Premium blended Irish Whiskey from the award
winning Cooley Distillery is an exceptionally high
quality whiskey aged 4/5 years in American Oak bourbon
barrels.
Cooley won “World Distiller of the Year” in 2008. Danny
Boy Premium Blend is its first private label partnership
new brand since receiving the award.
Hilden Brewery, Ireland’s Oldest Independent Brewery, is
a family run microbrewery established in 1981 by Seamus
and Ann Scullion and located in Hilden outside the City
of Lisburn in County Antrim. The brewery is managed by
Seamus and Ann’s son Owen who is a qualified and full
time brewer. The brewery now produces five ales covering
the full spectrum of tastes including Headless Dog Ale,
Molly’s Chocolate Stout and Belfast Blonde Lager.
Strangford Lough Brewing Co Ltd
Strangford Lough Brewing Company (SLBC) is located close
to the burial site of St Patrick in Downpatrick, County
Down, and on the shores of the Strangford Lough
conservation area. SLBC produces a range of fine real
ales. The company's beers are all named after historical
characters associated with this part of Ireland. St.
Patrick who started his mission in Ireland and is buried
in Downpatrick has 3 beers named for him, St. Patrick's
Ale, St. Patrick's Gold and St. Patrick's Best. Magnus
Barelegs, a Viking king, is buried on Downpatrick
marshes and has two beers named after him, Barelegs Brew
and Legbiter, the name of his sword. Magnus is buried
approximately two miles from the grave of Saint Patrick.
SLBC is reintroducing malting to Northern Ireland and
their beers contain barley from the soil of Ireland.
SLBC are working with local farmers to create a premium
market for Northern Ireland barley.
The Magnus range was launched in May 2004 and the first
of the Saint Patrick's beers in September 2004.
Products are sold in Ireland, Norway, the USA, and
increasingly in Great Britain.
SLBC’s own ‘Wort concentrate’ (a concentrated form of
unfermented beer) produced from barley directly sourced
from the fields of St. Patrick’s Country and shipped to
America for its finish brewing process, has been
received in Rochester, New York by High Falls Operating
Company (HFOC), a North American Breweries (NAB) company
and a SLBC strategic supply chain partner.
George Thompson, master brewer for SLBC has flown in to
New York to ensure quality and consistency in the final
completion phase of this maiden batch of beer. SLBC is
working closely with High Falls to ensure that the taste
and texture of its Irish Ale’s are not altered in any
way during the finishing process.
High Falls Brewery is currently the fourth largest
brewer in North America and will supplying SLBC’s beer
throughout North America to its existing network of
licensees.
Two Irish Ales produced by SLBC, Legbiter Ale and St
Patrick’s Best Ale, will be launched on 3rd February
2010 and will be immediately available in 20 states. St
Patrick’s Best Ale is light and refreshing on the
palate, with a classic Irish malt and traditional hop
aroma (ABV of 4.2%.) Legbiter Ale offers a very
different flavour with an inviting citrus fragrance, in
a brilliant golden ale giving a full but refreshing
clean caramel malt bitter finish (ABV 4.8%.) The
company’s launch slogan will be “Born in Ireland,
Matured in America” very fitting perhaps to a drink that
begins life in an Irish barley field and ends up in a
glass in America.
St. Patrick's Day 2010 will be a big event with SLBC
beers available in over 20 states of the USA, including
the key Irish American heartland in the North east. The
company's innovative business model and unique products
are proving a great success with Distributors across
North America, SLBC will be a US ‘National Brand’ within
18 months.
The Feckin Drinks Company
Feckin Irish Whiskey was first launched in 2005, after a
year of brand, and more importantly, blend development.
Created by Shane Braniff, from the townland of Ballyward,
outside Portaferry in beautiful Ards Peninsula, Shane
used his combined inherited knowledge as the son of both
a third generation farmer, and a third generation
Publican, to good effect to create this perfect blend.
Shane’s passion for adventure and his constant pursuit
of innovation have led him to conceive, develop and
launch two of the most unique Irish Whiskeys ever to hit
the market Feckin Irish Whiskey (original) & Feckin
Spiced Irish Whiskey.
Feckin Irish Whiskey is smooth on the inside, and
packaged with a very distinctive label, which tilts it’s
hat to those thousands of distillers, not always
legitimate, who have enriched our whiskey heritage
throughout the centuries, it truly is a whiskey for the
rogue in all of us! A hint of heather and cane sugar
join with a wisp of smoke and honey molasses to form a
smooth, satisfying taste that’s wicked enough to suit
your wayward urges.
Feckin Spiced Irish Whiskey – the only Spiced Irish
Whiskey available in the market today. The packaging
gives some indication of the quality of the product
within. The strong, rectangular, shouldered bottle, the
distinctive label, the authentic cork top all affirms
our assertion; there is no finer blended whiskey
product. The subtle hints of your favourite spices,
followed by the sweet overtones of vanilla, enjoyed
either on the rocks or with your favourite mixer, make
this the real alternative to many of the imported
spirits available today. corporate gift offers.
Nestling at the foot of the Mourne mountains and brewing
the finest traditional ales is the Whitewater Brewing
Company which was established in 1996 and supplies
bottled beers to Sainsbury’s, ASDA, the Co-op, Musgrave,
Tesco & independents.
Beers are available throughout Northern Ireland on
draught and the company invested in a state of the art
bottling facility in 2006. Currently four products are
available in 500ml bottles –: Belfast Ale 4.5% ABV;
Clotworthy Dobbin 5.0% ABV, Belfast Lager 4.5% ABV and
Belfast Black 4.5% ABV.
Nestling in the County Down Mourne mountains and brewing
the finest traditional ales, Whitewater was established
in 1996. Beers are available throughout Northern Ireland
on draught and the company invested in a state of the
art bottling facility in 2006. Currently four products
are available in 500ml bottles –: Belfast Ale 4.5% ABV;
Clotworthy Dobbin 5.0% ABV, Belfast Lager 4.5% ABV and
Belfast Black 4.5% ABV.
The company is the largest microbrewery in Northern
Ireland and supplies bottled beers to Sainsbury’s, ASDA,
the Co-op, Musgrave, Tesco & independents.
In August 2009, Whitewater launched a stout – Belfast
Black 4.2% ABV, which has already attracted widespread
interest within the local hospitality industry.
Whitewater also signed a distribution deal in New York
that saw its products on sale in bars and off-licences
in 2010.
The quality of Whitewater Brewery’s products have been
recognised by judges in the influential UK Great Taste
Awards, the annual food and drink ‘Oscars’ organised by
the Somerset-based Guild of Fine Foods, which promotes
gourmet food and drink in Britain. The company’s
products have also been listed among the world’s top 50
beers. The growing demand for product has led the
company to invest extensively in new conditioning and
storage facilities.
Niche Drinks Company Ltd
Since 1983, Niche Drinks have been producing Cream
Liqueurs of the highest quality for a number of retail
partners in Ireland, UK and Europe. Niche Drinks also
work with multinational drinks companies to create world
class brands. Niche Drinks continued success has been
built upon an outstanding Technical System that offers
full product traceability from a single defined cream
source through to finished product either bottled or in
bulk.
At Niche Drinks, the freshest dairy cream from our
specially selected herds of local grass-fed Fresian cows
is blended with triple distilled aged Irish whiskey to
create a range of Irish Cream Liqueurs, which can then
be infused with a new generation of natural flavours and
colours to create what we think is a perfect range of
Irish Creams which can then be tailored to meet the
needs of our customers.
Product Range:
Cream Liqueurs: Broad range of Cream Liqueurs, from
Traditional Irish Creams made from triple distilled aged
Irish Whiskey through to wine based and flavoured
creams.
Innovations from Niche Drinks: At Niche Drinks we have
stretched our expertise in Cream Liqueur technology to
develop Shannon’s Microwaveable Irish Coffee – an award
winning fully patented innovation which delivers a
perfect Irish Coffee every time.
Non Cream Products: ready to Drink Cocktails, Schnapps,
Coconut Rum and Coffee Liqueurs.
Back |
