Invest Northern Ireland

Bedford Square, Bedford Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland,BT2 7ES.

Tel: 02890 239090

The Northern Ireland Agri Food Sector
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).

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.

About Invest NI (Northern Ireland Naturally)
Invest Northern Ireland, the region’s main economic development agency, has a dedicated Food Division which delivers fully integrated and responsive services to over 300 local food and drink companies including advice on account management, design, product development, packaging, supply chain and productivity.

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 international markets.

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
co-ordinate 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.

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.

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.
 

Genesis Crafty
Established formed in 1968 McErlain’s Bakery Ltd in Magherafelt is a regional family run, independent craft bakery owned and managed by 6 brothers, who all have a passion for baking. In 1999, McErlain’s re-branded to become Genesis and have since created the Genesis Crafty range of breads focused around health and indulgence. It is now Northern Ireland’s leading niche bakery, priding itself on quality handcrafted bakery products with a contemporary image and authentic artisan nature.

Designed to complement Marks & Spencers’ hugely successful Irish breads and morning goods, the new Irish Bakery products created for the retailer by Genesis includes: four-packs of Iced Tops (iced Madeira buns), Jammy Rounds (Madeira buns dipped in raspberry syrup and coated in coconut) and Jam Bakes (pastry cases filled with jam and topped with Madeira sponge). Genesis is also supplying Apple and Rhubarb pies, part baked and frozen, for bake-off in M&S’s in-store bakeries.

Genesis also supply Sainsbury’s UK with four of its own lines, including Genesis Crafty Big Pancakes and Genesis Crafty Double Butter & Sultana Scones. The same two lines are also stocked by Waitrose, as well as Genesis Crafty Lemon & Raisin Pancakes and Genesis Crafty Double Butter & Cheese Scones.

Howell’s Handmade
In 2006, Irwin’s Bakery acquired traditional-style cake and tray-bake specialist, ‘Howell House’ to introduce a specialist home bakery category.

Since then, Irwin’s have invested significantly in the division in order to enhance its artisan capabilities and identity, including a strategic rebrand in 2008 to ‘Howell’s Handmade’.

Supplying the multiple sector as well the convenience and independent trade, Howell’s Handmade has become a firm favourite within Northern Ireland with it’s number one selling product Jammy Joeys. Having secured supplying Jammy Joeys to ASDA Scotland, the future plan is to expand to the rest of the United Kingdom with the entire Howell’s Handmade range.

RJF Jennings
RJF Jennings has been manufacturing Butterfly Buns, Tray Bakes and Apple Tarts for 20 years. The company has a reliable local van sales distribution to Spar and Mace stores across Northern Ireland and is the exclusive supplier of butterfly buns to Morrison’s. Plans are currently underway to expand their customer base to other main supermarket chains within the UK and RoI.

Scotts Bakery Ltd
Established in 1968 Scott’s Bakery Ltd specialises in Fairy Cakes and Mini Muffins and supplies major multiples including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and convenient stores such as Spar, Mace, Costcutters and Supervalu with own and private label products. The company operates from a 40,000 sq ft modern, customized bakery facility in Fivemiletown in County Tyrone.

Steve’s Cakes Ltd
Steve’s Cakes Ltd, established in July 2002 operates from a state-of-the-art purpose built 20,000 square ft manufacturing and distribution facility. The company specialises in the production of some of the nations favourite tray bakes including Caramel Squares, Tiffin Squares, Paradise Squares, Cornflake Squares, Fruity Squares, Crispie Squares, Fifteens, Shortbread and Flakemeal Biscuits.

The Antrim based company supply multiple and independent retail outlets throughout Ireland and the UK.

The Sunstart Bakery in Ballymena, Cunty Antrim, currently manufactures own label wheat and gluten-free cakes and biscuit brands for all major supermarkets across Great Britain, Ireland and Continental Europe, including Morrison’s, Tesco and Asda.

Three year’s ago the bakery secured its first sales in North America for its Sunstart-branded ‘Golden Crunch Cookies’. Clients include Shoppers Drug Mart and Sobey’s supermarket chain. Sunstart is now Northern Ireland’s biggest exporter of bakery products to North America and one of the biggest in Europe in terms of wheat and gluten-free biscuits and cookies.
 
 

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