Ulster Grocer April 2022

GROCER TM

50 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

APRIL 2022

ULSTER

N O. 1 M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E LO C A L G R O C E R Y S E C TO R

GROCER

APRIL 2022

ULSTER

TM

50 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

FOCUS ON TRADE LINKS & NI PROTOCOL AT WHITE HOUSE RECEPTION

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trengthening trade links between the USA and Northern Ireland, as well as protecting the Good Friday Agreement through the NI Protocol, was the focus of talks at this year’s White House St Patrick’s Day Reception hosted by President Joe Biden.

Among representatives from the local business community travelling to Washington DC last month for the event was Manufacturing NI Chief Executive Stephen Kelly, who said the trip has highlighted the strong opportunity for inward investment from the US. “What I can say was, throughout the visit, there was a tremendous amount of good will on display towards our economy and our people,” said Kelly.

“There is great attention being paid in the White House, and throughout the US administration, to what’s happening in Northern Ireland and a focus on ensuring prosperity is created to cement our peace.

“2023 is the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and sights are already being set on that in the US. We know that Irish business groups are keen to use it as a means of articulating how Ireland is peaceful and as a result a great place to invest for US firms.

Knowing that, what are we doing to mark this anniversary and capitalising on

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Seamus Leheny, Logistics UK policy manager for Northern Ireland, with US President Joe Biden at the White House St Patrick’s Day Reception.

Stephen Kelly, CEO of Manufacturing NI, with President Biden.

the attention it will bring to Northern Ireland?”

And for another member of the local contingent, Logistics UK Policy Manager for Northern Ireland Seamus Leheny, the impact of Brexit and the Protocol on NI’s

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supply chain were top of the agenda.

“It was a huge honour to be invited to the White House to represent the work of Logistics UK, and to have the chance to outline the extensive work Logistics UK has been doing over Brexit and the Northern Ireland Protocol with President Biden,” said Leheny.

“I also thanked the President and his administration for their work with the EU and UK in reaching an agreed solution to the NI Protocol that will protect NI trade.

“He was keen to discuss the need for solutions that work for Northern Ireland and its economy and encouraged our members to maintain their focus on protecting the supply chain.”

Other senior politicians from the US, Northern Ireland and Ireland attended the reception, hosted by the President and the First Lady to celebrate St Patrick’s Day and discuss US future trade with Ireland.

While in Washington, Leheny also participated in several senior meetings alongside members of the US State Department and Department of Commerce, the US Consul General to NI and the American Trucking Association.

Topics discussed included the Northern Ireland Protocol, as well as comparisons between the challenges both nations are facing in logistics, in which ideas and strategies for solutions were shared.

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ULSTER

MARKETING AWARDS 2022

STORE FOCUS: STARTING OFF AS A FUN PASTIME, TIKTOK ACCOUNT @DAD_ BUTCHER_LIFE HAS TURNED INTO A SALES-BOOSTING MARKETING TOOL FOR KANE FAMILY BUTCHERS IN BUSHMILLS

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS: MEET THE JUDGES FOR THIS YEAR’S AWARDS & FIND OUT HOW TO BOOK TICKETS FOR THE GROCERYAID GROCERS’ BALL AT THE CULLODEN ON MAY 27

NI FOOD & DRINK AWARDS: 400 GUESTS TURNED OUT IN STYLE FOR THE GALA CEREMONY HOSTED BY THE BBC’S MARK SIMPSON IN THE CROWNE PLAZA HOTEL, BELFAST ON MARCH 11

BALMORAL SHOW: SPAR NI & THE LIVESTOCK AND MEAT COMMISSION ARE AMONG SUPPORTERS OF THE 153RD SHOW, RETURNING TO BALMORAL PARK OVER MAY 11-14

email: info@ulstergrocer.com Volume 57 Number 4 APRIL 2022 Editor: Alyson Magee E: a.magee@independentmagazinesni.co.uk Tel: 028 9026 4175 Contributors: Michele Shirlow, Sam Butler, Aodhán Connolly Sales Executive: Judith Martin E: j.martin@mediahuis.co.uk Tel: 028 9055 4260 Art Editor: Helen Wright Ulster Grocer c/o Mediahuis UK Limited Belfast Telegraph House 33 Clarendon Road Clarendon Dock Belfast BT1 3BG www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/business/ ulstergrocer/ @ulstergrocer www.facebook.com/ulstergrocer

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EDITORIAL COMMENT

NI SUPPLY CHAINS IN THE SPOTLIGHT

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elcome to the April edition of Ulster Grocer.

At time of writing, spring has finally sprung and is at least taking the edge off another fraught month for the local grocery sector and indeed the world.

Problems closer to home of course pale in comparison to those faced by the people of Ukraine, but nonetheless the cost-of-living crisis is having a major impact on many people and businesses in Northern Ireland.

Major hikes in the cost of fuel, energy and food show no sign of abating, with inflation expected to keep rising this month and beyond.

Against this backdrop, P&O’s shock announcement last month it was replacing 800 staff members with agency workers was all the more jarring. The shipping company’s mode of delivery, sending in security to remove their own employees, was jaw-droppingly ill considered.

Further, the temporary suspension of P&O’s Irish Sea passages caused chaos in local grocery supply chains. Fortunately, as highlighted in Aodhán Connolly’s column opposite, a collaborative effort by trade, government and Stena filled the gaps in supply routes.

Northern Ireland’s supply chains were also a focus of discussions between the local and US delegations at last month’s White House St Patrick’s Day Reception (see p3).

Who didn’t enjoy the social media images of various local government and trade representatives getting, dare I say, a little bit touchy-feely with the leader of the free world.

Ulster Grocer’s invite to the White House Reception must have got lost in the post, but one invite gratefully received was to last month’s Northern Ireland Food & Drink Awards. A night of great food, drink and conviviality was had

by all, marking a welcome return to larger events.

By the time you get this magazine, IFEX will also be done and dusted and next up with be the Balmoral Show and Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards at the GroceryAid Grocers’ Ball.

Something to look forward to in a challenging world.

SPRING STATEMENT FAILS TO QUELL CONCERNS OVER INFLATION

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hancellor Rishi Sunak’s spring statement has come under criticism for failing to adequately address the UK’s cost-of-living crisis as inflation hit 6.2%, its highest level in three decades.

Office for National Statistics figures outline an increase in inflation from 5.5% in January to 6.2% in February, amid spiralling food and particularly fuel prices.

An upward trend in inflation is expected to continue as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine places further pressure on supplies of energy, fuel and commodities.

Among measures outlined in the spring statement are a 5p cut in petrol and diesel duty until March 2023, an increase in the National Insurance threshold and an income tax cut to apply from April 2024.

“While it is welcome that the Chancellor is to cut Fuel Duty by 5p per litre and increase Employment Allowance NIC payments, this statement does not begin to tackle the perfect storm of cost increases facing our members,” said Glyn Roberts, chief executive, Retail NI. “It is not just a cost-of-living crisis we

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face, it is a cost-of-doing-business crisis as well. Increasing National Insurance for business is the wrong tax at the wrong time and will limit economic growth at a time when we need it more than ever.

This is a missed opportunity.”

Following the spring statement, the Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast a 2.2% decrease in real household disposable incomes over the next year, the largest fall since records began in the 1950s.

Peter Bryson, head of Northern Ireland at Save the Children, said: “For families in Northern Ireland on low incomes, this crisis has become unbearable. Parents we work with tell us that there’s nothing left to cut back.

“They’re being forced to skip meals, turn off the heating, and take on unsustainable amounts of debt. Children are going to school hungry because food budgets are stretched so thin.

“A 5p cut to fuel duty coupled with an increase to the national insurance threshold translates into an additional £18.40 per month for the poorest families, in the context of a real-terms income cut of £55 a month.”

Last month, the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) met with Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots to discuss the impact of the ongoing war in Ukraine and how it is affecting food supply chains in Northern Ireland.

UFU had called on the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to put contingency plans in place and establish a NI agriculture task force to address the issue.

“We had discussions with DAERA on the importance of the middleman taking responsibility and that not all of the input price increases need to be borne by the primary producer,” said Victor Chestnutt, president, UFU. “It’s very clear that we are in a crisis now in terms of energy and fuels, and the big issue going forward will be cash flows on farm.

“The war in Ukraine has also stressed the importance and fragility of food security, both at home and abroad.

We farmers stand ready to do all we can to ensure the public continues to have access to high-quality, affordable, climate-friendly food when they need it.

“There are some clear short and long-term actions that government can take to maintain confidence and stability across the UK’s food producing businesses.”

IN A CRISIS, WORDS MATTER

BY AODHÁN CONNOLLY, DIRECTOR, NORTHERN IRELAND RETAIL CONSORTIUM

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ecent weeks saw a triumph of tenacity and hard work for retailers and colleagues in logistics, ably assisted by civil servants in DAERA, TEO and Whitehall. P&O’s bombshell announcement sent shockwaves through supply chains and, to use a nautical metaphor, led to all hands being on deck. Stena has been brilliant throughout this debacle, stepping up and putting on more sailings across the Irish Sea so that goods can keep flowing and shelves can keep full. But it has not been easy. There have been lots of challenges and a few near misses and there definitely is not the usual cushion that exists in just-intime supply chains.

Sometimes, when things have been out of sync for just a few hours, goods arrive at distribution centres at unexpected times causing stores to receive goods late. But that’s where logistics and retailers have stepped up. The lorries kept coming and retailers brought in extra staff to make sure that loads for stores could be picked and packed at any time of the day. We have also brought in more staff so that shelves can be replenished throughout the day, and you may have noticed that more staff have been on the shop floor keeping shelves full. And while this creates extra costs and additional administration, if that’s what is needed to get goods to customers, then that is what we will do.

But away from all the hard work, there have been some rather unhelpful comments in the media in recent weeks. Firstly, we had someone saying that there was no need to panic buy. And while there is indeed no reason to over buy, human psychology tells us that if you tell people not to do something they will do it. Like tell a friend not to think of a pink elephant and guess what, they will think of a pink elephant. So, we have to remember that words have consequences.

We also had some commentary that

there ‘will be empty shelves’.

This was at best ill-informed and at worst irresponsible.

Retailers are very adept at prioritising and are even more adept at changing supply chains as we have proven throughout the pandemic. There is a simple rule. If you are not a retailer or do not have a mandate from retailers, then don’t comment about shelves.

Even mentioning shelves puts more pressure on already stretched supply chains. If we ever get to the stage that retailers are overly concerned, then we will say something.

This is not the first time things like this have happened. Those of you in retail will remember that at the end of the Brexit transition period we were told by some (again not retailers) that grocery supply chains were five days away from collapse. Guess what… it didn’t happen.

But what it did do was put undue and unhelpful pressure on retailers and logistics. These words are not without consequence, they affect businesses, and they can scare consumers and lead to actual panic buying which quite simply makes it a self-fulfilling prophecy.

While this all falls in the realm of public policy, and business comms, it reminds me of a saying of my mother, ‘If you can’t say anything helpful, don’t say anything at all’, and one of my father, ‘When you go to say something in public, think once, twice and three times before you say it’.

There are still significant challenges and there may be the odd thing that is not there as the supply chain finds a new rhythm, but retailers are working with Stena who have now raised their capacity to 9,100 berths a week which is even more that if P&O were also sailing.

But we need calm heads, clear language and, most of all, we need to continue the amazing collaborative working that has gone on. From Logistics UK to DEFRA, to TEO to DAERA to our retailers, it has been an amazing joint effort. But people must remember, words have consequences.

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HIGH STREET TASK FORCE REPORT LAYS OUT FIVE-YEAR RECONSTRUCTION PLAN

Junior Minister Declan Kearney; Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI and chair of the High Street Task Force – Influencing Policy and Strategy sub-group; and Junior Minister Gary Middleton.

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five-year reconstruction plan for Northern Ireland’s high streets, including reform of business rates and planning policy, has been published by the Executive’s High Street Task Force.

Junior Ministers Gary Middleton and Declan Kearney joined High Street Task Force members Glyn Roberts of Retail NI, Seamus McAleavey of NICVA and Cathy Reynolds of SOLACE on March 23 to launch the report, Delivering a 21st Century High Street, which features 14 key recommendations.

The junior ministers, who are joint chairs of the task force, paid tribute to the work carried out and the collaboration involved from both inside and outside of government.

“Our high streets have experienced

constant and increasing change, particularly in recent years,” said Middleton. “We want to empower people and communities to reshape and repurpose their local villages, towns and cities, to create a more diverse high street - high streets that are clean, green, family friendly destinations that are welcoming for everyone.

“A joined-up and collaborative approach must continue over the coming years to deliver high streets, village, town and city centres that are fit for the 21st century and this report provides the next steps for the new ministers in the next mandate to take forward work to revitalise our village, town and city centres.”

Roberts, chair of the High Street Task Force – Influencing Policy and Strategy sub-group, said: “We hope that an incoming Executive after the election will hit the ground running with this plan and begin the long road of recovery for our high streets.”

The High Street Task Force report and its recommendations will be subject to consideration by the next Executive, which will determine how it can be aligned with the future Programme for Government.

THE FED CREATES POSTERS TO HELP RETAILERS PREPARE FOR CARRIER BAG PRICE HIKE

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he Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has created a series of posters for its members in Northern Ireland to display in their shops to prepare customers for the forthcoming price hike on carrier bags.

The posters advise that from April 1, 2022 carrier bags will cost 25p. They can be downloaded from the Fed’s website – www.thefedonline.com.

The increase in the carrier bag levy was announced by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in November, with the aim of protecting the environment and 6

encouraging consumers to reuse their carrier bags.

The Fed challenged the increase when advised by Environment Minister Edwin Poots in November 2021. DAERA was warned that, while the increase was beneficial from an environmental standpoint, it would impact on independent retailers at a time of great financial uncertainty.

“From an environmental standpoint, it makes sense,” said Judith Mercer, former president of NFRN Northern Ireland. “We want there to be less plastic, but this price increase is a big jump.”

TRADE BODIES WELCOME PASSAGE OF SECOND CLIMATE CHANGE BILL

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gri-food organisations, including the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) and Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), have welcomed the finalstage passage of the second Climate Change Bill at Stormont.

The Bill features less stringent targets than the first Private Member’s Bill, as well as a separate methane target for farmers.

“We are pleased that the Executive Climate Change No.2 Bill has been supported by MLAs and will now go forward to become law,” said Ian Stevenson, chief executive, LMC. “The NI agri-food industry has been totally united in its call for science-based legislation to tackle climate change, support agri food jobs and the rural economy.

“This is highly ambitious legislation for Northern Ireland, and it is sounded on science and evidence which the industry has been calling for over the last few months as the Assembly members wrestled over the ambition and detail of a climate change legislative framework for Northern Ireland.

“In addition to this, it is positive that the Climate Change No.1 Bill brought forward as a Private Member’s Bill by Clare Bailey MLA was not moved for consideration. The impact of this Bill, with a net zero target for 2045, would have been utterly devastating to the agri-food industry. The impacts of such a target were clearly outlined by the KPMG economic impact assessment.

Victor Chestnutt, president, UFU, said: “Big changes will be required of agriculture going forward to meet the targets within the bill, but all of which are supported by science and expert advice bringing us back in line with the Climate Change Committee’s balanced pathway for agriculture.

“Our farmers will now continue to drive emissions reductions and increase carbon sequestration while producing sustainable food to world leading standards for consumers at home and abroad, within the framework of the Executive’s Climate Change Bill.”

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HELPING LOCAL BUSINESSES LEVEL UP VOICE FOR LOCALS FOUNDER/STEERING AUTHORITY JAY THATTAI TELLS UG HOW THE FREE SERVICE CAN BENEFIT SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES IN THE GROCERY SECTOR

HOW DO GROCERY BUSINESSES APPLY FOR ASSISTANCE, IS THERE A DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION & IS THERE ANY TIMEFRAME FOR THE SUPPORT? Grocery businesses can opt-in to the new Voice for Locals Initiative. For further information log on to voiceforlocals. co.uk. Our support team will then sign-up business owners and support them on this exciting journey. The deadline for the application process is April 30 2022. The Initiative will be supported by the project deliverers for up to 12 months from the day of sign up.

Jay Thattai, Voice for Locals.

WHAT IS THE VOICE FOR LOCALS INITIATIVE? It’s a personalised small business success programme that equips local businesses, delights local customers, empowers local governments and business networks to rebuild a self-reliant local economy.

YOU HAVE SECURED A £1.82M GRANT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN NI – WHAT IS IT FOR & WHO ARE YOUR PARTNERS IN THE GRANT SCHEME? The £1.82m grant is to invest in local businesses registered in Northern Ireland and to improve their skill development to make them resilient against changes in economic conditions. Our partners are very excited to be empowering small business owners.

The consortium, which includes firms Unloc Limited and TieTa, UK is working closely with City & Guilds to gain recognition for the e-learning programmes that will delivered to local businesses throughout the scheme’s duration.

Unloc Ltd will provide the technology, marketing and skills development element of the offering while TieTa will

such as customer loyalty, rewards and recognitions. These are designed to drive organic, repeat and referral business in simple clicks. Businesses will be introduced to e-learning courses and will be certified with endorsements by the UK government.

From receiving personalised business and technology advice, to establishing rating and reviews that will be reflected in a local directory and marketed across Northern Ireland to increase branding, visibility and profitability, we are here to help local businesses level up.

offer business and technical support.

WHICH GROCERY BUSINESSES WOULD BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR SUPPORT & WHAT IS THE CRITERIA? Businesses should be registered in Northern Ireland and provide a service to customers living here.

In terms of who is eligible to apply, businesses should have less than say 0-50 employees and ideally less than nine employees.

This is an excellent opportunity for businesses selling in-store or online and for those introducing their own products to the marketplace.

HOW MIGHT YOU BE ABLE TO HELP GROCERY BUSINESSES? We will be able to help grocery businesses collect insights about their customer expectations and experiences post Covid. In addition, we will help them to personalise their product for the market.

One of the key benefits of signing up to the Voice for Locals Initiative is the opportunity to learn new skills. We will give business owners the tools and the training to introduce new processes

About Voice for Locals Initiative: • Post Covid-19, the Voice for Locals Initiative is seeking to support businesses in NI by providing access to intelligent online marketing and customer experience development tools to allow firms to reconnect with customers, gauge performance and pinpoint new business opportunities.

• A GB-based consortium, Voice for Locals - a levelling up initiative sponsored by the UK Community Renewal Fund (UKCRF) focused on investment in skill development and local business - successfully secured a grant to offer participating NI micro and small businesses a range of free skills, marketing and other services to aid business recovery.

• The Voice for Locals Initiative has received £1.82m from the UK government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

• This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Community Renewal Fund.

• For further information about the Voice for Locals Initiative, log on to voiceforlocals.co.uk 7

STORE FOCUS

Kane Family Butchers, Bushmills STORE : KANE FAMILY BUTCHERS

STARTING OFF AS A FUN PASTIME WITH HIS SON, TIKTOK ACCOUNT @DAD_BUTCHER_LIFE HAS TURNED INTO A MAJOR SALES-BOOSTING MARKETING TOOL FOR HIS EMPLOYER, BUTCHER BRENDAN ALLEN TELLS ALYSON MAGEE

Three generations of the Kane family: from left, Lyle, Jamie and Mark.

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rendan Allen, a butcher and counter assistant at Kane Family Butchers in Bushmills, only got into the trade by chance.

“I was a care assistant for 12 years,” he says. “Before I worked in a butcher’s, I looked after adults with learning difficulties and homeless teenagers. Then I came down for one day to help a friend in the shop and just fell in love with it.

I decided I’d like to do it and ended up staying.”

Brendan only joined the shop around

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two and a half years ago, training with Jamie Kane, the third generation of the family in the butchery trade.

Jamie’s grandfather Lyle Kane started working at Freeman’s Butchers in Bushmills at the age of 15 and went on to become a master butcher. Lyle then took on the butchery at Calvin’s SPAR in Bushmills, where son Mark Kane came on board to train aged 16.

After becoming a master butcher himself, Mark opened Kane Family Butchers. Alongside training up Brendan,

Jamie is also on his way to becoming a master butcher.

“I am definitely very lucky to be learning from a long line of butchers,” says Brendan. “It helps to make you love your job, being part of such a family atmosphere.”

And the Kanes must also consider themselves lucky to have attracted more than just an enthusiastic apprentice when they brought Brendan into the family business.

A TALENT FOR TIKTOK Just over a year ago, Brendan started tinkering with a TikTok account @dad_ butcher_life, posting “just a wee bit of a mix of everything,” he says, from current deals in the shop to Brendan joking about with his colleagues and enjoying family time.

Light-hearted butchery banter has proved a recipe for success on TikTok, with Brendan’s posts reaching up to 80k

STORE FOCUS Brendan Allen with his son, and TikTok co-star, Owen.

people, one of his hashtags currently sitting at around 140k and a Kane’s Butchers hashtag reaching 52k in just over two weeks.

Such has been his success with the app, Brendan has been inundated with requests from other butcher’s shops to call in and tag them, and just made a TikTok by request for Glens of Antrim Crisps.

He also recently visited a youth group in Bushmills to talk to teenagers about social media awareness and dealing with trolling.

“Mark didn’t even know I was doing the TikTok stuff to start with,” says Brendan. “I was just doing it for a wee bit of fun and people started coming in and saying to him about the posts, and it sort of took off from there.”

With the support of his boss, Brendan started to push the account as a marketing tool for the shop’s positioning as a ‘third-generation butcher’s offering traditional cuts of meat at affordable prices delivered directly to your door’.

While the shop had already built an impressive reputation on Facebook, with over 86k followers, spreading the message on TikTok opened it up to a younger audience.

“We were absolutely shocked at the amount of people on TikTok that weren’t on Facebook,” says Brendan. “Facebook is nearly at the point know where it’s like the phonebook you have in your house,

you keep it there for contacts and that’s it.

So, I decided there was a new audience to reach and TikTok was the best way to get to them.”

Brendan’s strategy is to let the two apps complement each other, tagging his TikTok posts with links to offers on the Facebook page, and it is paying off with a major boost in online orders.

“It’s amazing the reach TikTok can have to thousands of people and in such a quick time,” he says. “Customers love to tag me in videos of meat they have had delivered to their home.

“Some nights I do live cooking with my son Owen, who is nine. He even comes down on occasion to the shop and loves the fun of it, so maybe he will go down the same route.

“I think it’s the personal thing customers love so much. It’s like looking behind the counter and seeing the daily goings on.

You can see me working, but also see me as a dad with my kids.”

Brendan says that, while big retailers often spend millions on campaigns positioning their brands as family friendly, people are getting fed up with corporate messaging.

“I kind of thought I could do that for free just by showing people the products you can buy and the guy that’s selling them to you just to give it a more personal touch,” he says.

“People seem to respond, and they seem to love if they ask you a question and you respond with a video because they tend to get a more honest answer and can see your facial expressions. It’s kind of like they see that if you spend local, it really is spent local.”

FOCUS ON VALUE Most of the shop’s meat is sourced within Northern Ireland, while the shop also stocks a range of local produce from Milgro Onions to Irish Black Butter and jams and chutneys from the Dundarave Estate.

A shop speciality is its Bushmills Honey Sausage. “That’s what we’re known for, and a lot of people tend to go for it,” says Brendan.

The business supplies a number of local restaurants, cafes and chip shops, some of which proudly display the shop’s logo on their menus.

Around eight staff members work in the business, with the ground floor shop open from 7.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday. While the shop has been fairly recently updated and a new counter installed, plans are in place to open it up into a bigger space in the next few years.

Upstairs space is used to pack the growing number of delivery orders. “We do a lot of meat packs priced from around £40 to £60,” says Brendan. “Value-formoney wise, there’s nowhere else in Northern Ireland doing anything else remotely close to it.

“We had one there recently with six sirloin, six ribeye, six rump, seven burgers, mince, chicken and pork chops for £50.

I put it on TikTok and it went absolutely phenomenal, something like 80,000 people had seen it and commented on it.

“Sales of it went through the roof for two weeks, and we could barely keep up with it. We had ones in Scotland, England and Wales asking if we could post it to them.”

With his TikTok account, “i just started it for a bit of fun and a laugh with my wee boy, and it went a bit crazy. I think that’s the way business has to be,” he says.

“You just have to keep coming up with new ways to bring more customers in.”

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RETAIL NEWS – INDEPENDENTS

ASSEMBLY APPROVES THREE-MONTH EXTENSION OF RATES HOLIDAY

Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI; Finance Minister Conor Murphy; and Victoria Nicol, owner of Two Sisters, with her daughter Erin.

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etail NI joined Finance Minister Conor Murphy at Two Sisters artisan food and craft store in Belfast last month to launch a new £50m business rates package.

The Minister had hoped to freeze rates for three years. However, with Northern Ireland’s 2022-2025 Budget yet to be approved following the collapse of Stormont, he has secured Assembly backing for a one-year freeze of domestic and non-domestic regional rates.

Retailers such as Two Sisters will receive a three-month extension to the rates holiday, introduced during the pandemic alongside hospitality, tourism, leisure, childcare, newspapers and airports. All businesses will receive a one-month rates holiday with the exception of utilities and larger food stores.

“This is a very welcome package of support for our members and the broader business community,” said Glyn Roberts, chief executive, Retail NI.

HARPER ADAMS STUDY HIGHLIGHTS GROWTH IN FARM SHOPS

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K farm shops generate £1.4bn in national sales and employ 25,000 workers, according to new research by Harper Adams University.

The research, unveiled at the annual Farm Retail Association Conference, also highlighted the role they played throughout the pandemic with 89% of farm retailers reporting an increase in sales since 2019.

Researchers from the University’s Food, Land and Agri-Business Management department carried out the study, which aimed to understand the impact farm shops have on their local communities, farmers and suppliers as well as the wider economy and the UK’s rural landscape.

The study found there are an estimated 1,581 farm retailers nationally, employing 25,000 people. Some 64% of farm shops expect sales to increase further in 2022 and a third of all farm shops have opened in the last 10 years.

Other findings showed that customers are attracted to shopping with farm retailers because of their quality of products, customer service and the farm setting.

“We knew anecdotally that consumers 10

Alastair Boot, senior lecturer in Food Retail and Marketing, is pictured at the conference with Rupert Evans, chairman, FRA.

are preferring to shop and support local more than ever before and this data confirms just that,” said Rupert Evans, chairman, FRA. “The trust was built up through the pandemic as farm retailers could adapt quickly to introduce Covid safe measures and people felt safer shopping in smaller environments as opposed to large supermarkets. We think the pandemic will have changed shopping habits for many and will be here to stay.”

“We appreciate that the Minister has listened and acted upon the concerns of our members.

“Continuing the rates holiday by another three months and extending the Small Business Rate Relief scheme will be well received by small traders, particularly given the twin pressures of rising energy costs and the forthcoming National Insurance hike.

“After the Election, it is important that the Assembly and Executive agree a broader reform of the entire system of business rates as they are the highest in the UK. “This package is a significant step in the right direction but much more will be needed to support the recovery of our high streets.”

LATEST SHOP ROBBERIES CONDEMNED

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rade bodies have condemned two incidents in North Belfast last month, a violent attack at a community pharmacy on the Antrim Road and an attempted ATM robbery on the Ballysillan Road.

“This was a horrible attack on a pharmacy team going about their normal job helping people on a Saturday afternoon,” said Gerard Greene, chief executive of Community Pharmacy NI, in response to the Antrim Road incident.

“We utterly condemn this behaviour.

An attack on a local community pharmacy team impacts lots of people who rely on us. Our thoughts are with the pharmacist who was stabbed in the hand and the pharmacy staff who were subjected to this horrendous ordeal.

“We would reiterate the call by the PSNI for anyone who witnessed anything to contact them or Crimestoppers.”

Meanwhile, Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI, said of the attempted ATM robbery: “This disgraceful attack has caused significant disruption to an independent retailer and the local community as a whole” “Attacks like these are directly leading to a reduction in the number of ATMs in local communities and will restrict the ability of people (particularly those on benefits) to access cash. We appeal to anyone with any information on this attack to contact the police.”

RETAIL NEWS – SYMBOLS

FARRELL FAMILY OPEN SECOND CENTRA ON STEWARTSTOWN ROAD Centra retailer Sinead Farrell, left, officially opens the new £500,000 Centra store on the Stewartstown Road with the store team including Chris Kennedy, store manager (back right) and Barry Holland, new business and acquisitions manager, Musgrave NI (front right).

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new Centra has been opened on the Stewartstown Road in Belfast by the Farrell family in March, following a £500,000 investment creating 20 jobs.

Representing a second store for the family, which also owns and operates Centra Boucher Road, the new 3,000-square-foot store and petrol forecourt combines convenience with an extensive food-to-go and grocery offering.

The investment includes a food-to-go offering with a new hot and cold deli counter, grab and go chicken range and in-store bakery.

Shoppers can enjoy a hot drink to go with the Frank and Honest Coffee 2.0 coffee dock which offers a wide selection of hot drinks and features

100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans.

Customers can also benefit from the new digital loyalty app which offers a free coffee after earning 10 digital stamps.

The store also features digital screens, energy efficient LED lighting and an energy efficient refrigeration system.

Alongside the six-pump fuel forecourt is parking for 25 cars.

Barry Holland, new business and acquisitions manager for Musgrave NI, said: “We now have more than 100 Centra stores in Northern Ireland, and we are still expanding. If you have ever dreamed of opening your own store, now is the time to get in touch with the team at Musgrave.”

LOCAL SUPPLIERS SHOWCASED AT NEW EUROSPAR KIRCUBBIN

Direct, Windwhistle Farm and Fresh Field Carrots.

“J Wright & Sons butchery range will also provide fresh, locally sourced meat and poultry, complementing our own-brand Enjoy Local range, 100% of which is sourced from local farms and producers, while our SPAR Bakery brand offers fresh croissants, baguettes, tarts and a range of breads to enjoy now, or to take home,” said Darren Dickson, store manager.

Mark McCammond, retail director, Henderson Group, said: “In EUROSPAR Kircubbin we have a supermarket that will cater entirely to the local community, bringing added value across products that will drive down the cost of their trolley shop thanks to our longterm Tesco Price Match initiative on over one thousand big brand products, alongside our continued investment in Value on Your Doorstep.”

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enderson Retail has made a multi-million-pound investment in EUROSPAR Kircubbin, a new 4,150-square-foot store representing a knock-down and rebuild project replacing the previous SPAR store.

Providing an additional 14 jobs across the retail floor, including two new starts recruited via the company’s ongoing partnership with the Stepping Stones Employment Programme, the shop now features a Dailydeli, Barista Bar café and sit-in services.

Local produce is a focus, with suppliers within a 30-mile radius of the shop including Patton’s Bakery, William Orr and Son, Just Live a Little, Peppup, Mash

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RETAIL NEWS – MULTIPLES

CONSTRUCTION STARTS ON NEW LIDL STORES IN BELFAST AND OMAGH Pictured at the Castlereagh Road site are Chris Speers, property executive, Lidl Northern Ireland, and Gerard McCleland, CEO of Ganson UK.

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onstruction work is getting underway on two new Lidl Northern Ireland stores in Belfast and Omagh, as part of the discount retailer’s investment plan to convert older stores to its bright, modern ‘concept’ design.

Representing an investment of £8m, the region’s fastest-growing retailer has broken ground to relocate its existing store at the junction of Castlereagh and Montgomery

Road in Belfast to a new adjacent site on Castlereagh Road. Approval for the new store was granted by Belfast City Council last year.

Construction work at the expansive Castlereagh Road retail site, which is also home to a neighbouring Lynas Food outlet, is expected to take six months and will include improved access.

Occupying a much larger area of 11,575

POUNDLAND EXPANDS INTO ECOMMERCE WITH POUNDSHOP ACQUISITION

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oundland has acquired online discount retail business Poundshop. com for an undisclosed sum, in a move aimed at providing the infrastructure to power a national roll-out of its own pilot ecommerce operation.

Founded in 2014, Poundshop.com has grown to be the UK’s largest online-only value etailer. It has almost 400,000 customers across the UK and 65 colleagues at its distribution centre and head office in Wednesbury, West Midlands, a few miles from Poundland’s own customer support centre in Walsall.

Poundshop.com has expanded rapidly and, last year alone, saw sales more than double. It will continue trading under its own brand in the immediate term and will benefit from Poundland’s extended range and purchasing power to bring customers more choice and value.

Poundland plans to build on the experience of Poundshop.com to develop further and scale up its own online operation, which has started as a pilot in selected postcodes.

“It’s great to warmly welcome the Poundshop.com team to Poundland,” said Barry Williams, managing director, Poundland. “This acquisition puts power and pace behind our aspirations to make our amazing products and value available to customers across the UK and Ireland, however they choose to shop.”

Poundshop.com sells branded consumer products priced between £1 and £5 and typically below high street prices. While it appeals to a broad range of shoppers and age groups, three quarters of its customers are female, and it is particularly popular with 25-44-yearolds.

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square meters, including a 1,420-squaremetre sales floor, the new east Belfast store will create 10 new retail jobs additional to the existing team of 25 when it opens in summer 2022. A further 200 jobs were created during the build-out and development phase.

Meanwhile, Lidl Northern Ireland is also preparing to break ground on a new £4m state-of-the-art concept store more than double the size of its existing site on James Street, Omagh.

Construction is expected to start on March 19 to modernise and extend the store and build a large warehouse at the site. Planning approval was granted by Fermanagh & Omagh District Council in July 2021.

Occupying a site of 4,046 square metres, including a sales floor of 2,205 square metres, the expanded store will create 15 new retail jobs when it opens in autumn 2022, and support a further 200 jobs during construction and development.

RISING COST OF LIVING TAKES ITS TOLL ON GROCERY SPEND

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ith supply chain pressures pushing up the cost of living, shoppers are keeping a watchful eye on supermarket price rises, says Kantar in its latest monthly report on the Northern Ireland grocery market.

“The Northern Irish grocery market saw sales drop by 6.8% in the year to 20 February 2022,” says Emer Healy, senior retail analyst at Kantar. “Northern Ireland grocery price inflation stands at 1.9% over the latest 52-week period, a figure we’d expect to rise in the coming months.

“With the majority of Covid-19 restrictions now lifted, people are really making the most of eating and drinking out in restaurants, pubs and café. As a result, sales over the latest 12-week period dipped by 6.4%. We also saw a 7.8% decline in the volume of items in shoppers’ trolleys, and the number of trips to stores dropped by 2.5%.”

“Tesco maintained its position at the top of the table and is Northern Ireland’s largest grocer with a 35.7% share of the market. While its sales dropped by 5.3%, the grocer boosted its market share by 0.6 percentage points this period.

“Lidl is the only retailer to achieve growth over the past year and holds 7.1% of the market. The supermarket, typically a popular choice for shoppers watching their pennies, also grew its market share by 0.6 percentage points.

“Asda’s share rose by 0.2 percentage points to 16.0%.

Sainsbury’s holds 16.9% of the market this period.”

ADVERTORIAL

Bobby’s – Blooming in Northern Ireland COMPANY : BOBBY’S

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n 1972, Michael Hancock and Bob Isaac started selling cakes and sweets at local markets in Worcestershire, England. Very quickly, 12 vans were selling Bobby’s branded products all over the Midlands.

Fast forward 50 years, Bobby’s now has 12 depots with over 100 reps serving the entire country. Featured in The Sun Online and The Mail Online ‘s ‘10 top food and drinks brands’ at the end of 2021, Bobby’s expansion into Northern Ireland is an opportunity not to be missed.

Up to 2020, Bobby’s had not been able to make the journey across the channel to supply retailers in Northern Ireland, despite the demand over the past 10 years. Now, Bobby’s have got an established depot in Belfast with vans covering Northern Ireland. This expansion has allowed Bobby’s to continue their work alongside independent retailers as well as the big symbols.

The Bobby’s range is carefully made up of a tasty assortment of confectionery, cakes, snacks, nuts, and freeze. Stocking over 80 products in the back of each van and over 20 additional products available via Bobby’s ‘BOX’ service, retailers are spoilt for choice with a range that is exclusive in the convenience market.

Biscolata is the best-selling brand for Bobby’s, worth £5m in 2021 alone. Peter Aikman, business development executive, said: “Our Biscolata range has become rather famous, especially in Belfast where the line often sells out in many locations.”

Alongside an exclusive product range, Bobby’s also bring their award-winning service to Northern Ireland.

Having won Sales Team of the Year in 2020, Bobby’s have continued to improve their service and, in 2021, launched ‘Apex’, Bobby’s national merchandising service. Apex is ‘a simple approach to doing things differently’.

The team travels nationwide helping Bobby’s new and existing retailers to get the best out of their in-store displays. Apex identifies that all space on the shop floor is potentially valuable. Paul Kitt, national Apex service manager, said: “Our nationwide Apex service model builds upon industry-leading merchandising techniques and utilises various point of sale materials to create the best in-store theatre.” Paul and his team offer the hasslefree Apex service by supplying, installing, merchandising, and maintaining designated space in stores. With FSDUs, Shelf Trays, Shelf Strips, and much more, the Apex team are confident

they will always find a solution to bring new and existing displays to life.

Retailers can expect a visit from their dedicated Bobby’s Rep every fortnight.

Reps often come armed with new product development and always have products on special promotion.

PMPs have become dominant performers in confectionery and snacks and are now more important than ever in the convenience sector as consumers become increasingly money conscious.

They give the perception of value and build trust between consumers and retailers. The Bobby’s range offers outstanding value for money and the PMP elongates this, increasing impulse sales. Whilst Bobby’s continues to increase their range of PMPs, they also offer a comprehensive range of non-PMPs to give retailers choice.

In 2022, Bobby’s are celebrating their 50th year in business. Bobby’s products have been enjoyed for generations and there is a demand to bring back some well-known ‘nostalgic’ products.

Bobby’s guarantees that there is no risk involved with stocking their products. Not only do Bobby’s offer free delivery but their whole range is full sale or return.

To open an account or to make an order, contact Peter Aikman: 07546740696 13

RETAIL PROFILE

One year on for Nearby COMPANY : S&W WHOLESALE

S&W WHOLESALE MANAGING DIRECTOR MICHAEL SKELTON TALKS TO UG ABOUT THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF THE GROUP’S NEARBY SYMBOL AND ITS £15M INVESTMENT IN A NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTRE AND HEADQUARTERS be another cause for celebration and highlight for Nearby.

NEARBY IS CELEBRATING ITS FIRST ANNIVERSARY – HOW MANY STORES NOW CARRY THE FASCIA AND HOW MANY ARE IN THE PIPELINE? I am immensely proud of the wider teams within S&W to have successfully reached our one-year anniversary of launching the brand with over 75 stores already supporting local communities across the island of Ireland. When you consider the challenges that were faced during the pandemic, with lockdowns, keeping our staff and retailers safe including isolation 14

measures – this milestone has already exceeded my expectations and more. It shows you the resilience of our Symbol teams, the partnership we have with our signage and branding partners and the desire from the retailers.

We hit the ground running in January 2022 with new Nearby stores opening in counties Antrim, Donegal, Carlow, Dublin and Sligo to name just a few. The teams are already scheduling the next phase with another huge milestone for the brand fast approaching. This will

WHAT BENEFITS CAN RETAILERS STARTING OUT WITH, OR CHANGING OVER TO, THE NEARBY BRAND ENJOY? Retailers who join the Nearby family are provided with hands on support from our dedicated retail team that will help the retailer along the journey with Nearby.

We look for retail partners who are as passionate about their customers, their products and the future of their store just as much as we are. The retailer will benefit from the strong modern looking front fascia Nearby provides; as well as the internal graphics that bring their store to life for their customers.

Nearby retailers will receive all the benefits from being part of a symbol group including: marketing support, a dedicated BDM, integrated EPOS, IT support, central billing and buying power from the Unitas Group - the UK’s largest independent wholesale buying group.

This provides retailers with peace of mind that they are receiving the best value all year round.

However, what makes us even more unique is that we understand fully that our retailers are independent and our model supports them every step of the way. We don’t ask for membership fees and a list of must-do’s. With our retail system in place, retailers will have more time to get on with the things that make their business unique, while we take care of the rest.

WHAT WAS THE CONCEPT BEHIND THE NEW BRAND & WHY DO YOU THINK IT IS PROVING SO POPULAR? We identified a gap in the market for a brand within convenience retailing that would strike a chord with both the independent retailer and their communities. We wanted to create a brand that very much focused on local

RETAIL PROFILE further grow the company and workforce but also position us much better to service all our customers both north and south of the border. Our retailers will have a wider choice of products, more delivery options and improved efficiencies with all being held centrally.

and with a symbol that customers would instantly recognise. Nearby was formed along with its strapline of Never too far from home. When you look at where the majority of our stores are located, they are within communities with plenty of chimney pots around. So when a customer wants something for tonight’s tea or needs to top up their cupboards, they have value right on their doorstep – nearby and never too far from home.

The growth and popularity of the Nearby brand in the last year is testament to the dedicated Retail teams within S&W Wholesale. It’s exciting to think of what milestones we could potentially reach this time next year throughout Ireland.

I believe the popularity is down to a combination of many elements. Due to our longstanding history and background, retailers have confidence in us to deliver.

Our history dates back over 100 years and we have continued to grow from strength to strength.

The Nearby brand itself looks sharp. It’s modern and really lifts the look and feel of the store. The retailers who have joined us already are delighted with the final result. They are involved from concept right through to the final stage for their

store. Many retailers have commented on the icon that sits within the Nearby name and how it can be used in store, across online channels and leaflets. It also reinforces the Nearby message for their store.

Overall the popularity is down to a mix with the symbol teams being at the forefront of this as they guide the retailers on the Nearby journey. I have full confidence that the brand will continue to grow throughout Ireland.

S&W RECENTLY ANNOUNCED A MAJOR INVESTMENT INTO A NEW DISTRIBUTION CENTRE & HQ - WHAT ENHANCED SERVICES CAN ITS RETAIL PARTNERS EXPECT AS A RESULT OF THIS INVESTMENT? Yes we were delighted to announce last month an investment of more than £15m in a landmark 20-acre site which will be our new home. This multi-purpose site will host our new distribution complex, head office space, vehicle management area and a new recycling area. The storage will boast over 180,000 sq ft hosting all ambient, chilled, fresh and frozen products under one roof.

The new investment will allow us to

S&W LAUNCHED A NEW CAMPAIGN WITH A WHOLE LOT MORE. HAS THE MESSAGE STRUCK A CHORD WITH RETAILERS & CONSUMERS? 2020 saw a new direction for S&W Wholesale. Over the past number of years prior, we experienced sustained levels of growth and we wanted to spearhead this further with a complete overhaul and modernisation of our well known brand. Our strapline of A Whole Lot More encompasses everything we do here.

This is something we can stand over as we continue to deliver on this promise.

We represent more than a wholesaler, with our retail offering, extensive product range, IT structure and reach throughout the island of Ireland. We were able to showcase all this to our current customer base over the launch and have noticed an increase in new customers throughout Ireland. It’s been very exciting to watch this unravel and, with the announcement last month of the new distribution centre, we are ensuring we deliver on this promise for our staff, retailers, suppliers and trade partners.

DOES S&W HAVE ANY OTHER PLANS FOR THE YEAR? As we hopefully come out of the pandemic, we are very much focused on evolving the Nearby brand further and bringing it closer to people and their communities. We have some fantastic milestones coming up and we are excited to celebrate this with our retailers.

As well as the focus on our retail offering we will be concentrating on ensuring we are on track to complete our multi-purpose site for 2024 and that our staff and all connected with S&W are involved in this process. There will be numerous occasions for our staff to have their say with our engagement feedback sessions on elements that will tie in with their role at S&W such as office space and facilities in the warehouse.

We will be on the lookout for new talent as we look to grow our workforce and bring jobs to the local area and beyond. We also have some innovative new technologies to launch that will improve efficiencies for our retailers and staff that is due for announcement before year end.

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ADVERTORIAL

MUSGRAVE NI, AMBITIOUSLY FOCUSED ON NEW COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES COMPANY : MUSGRAVE

MUSGRAVE NI IS AMBITIOUSLY FOCUSED ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW COMMERCIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND ACQUISITIONS TO GROW ITS RETAIL BRANDS – SUPERVALU, CENTRA AND MACE. NEW BUSINESS AND ACQUISITIONS MANAGER BARRY HOLLAND EXPLAINS WHY CHOOSING MUSGRAVE MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE

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arry joined Musgrave as a regional manager in 2005, nurturing relationships between the business and its independent retail partners.

As the business and its brands grew, Barry moved into a business development role in 2015, before being appointed new business and acquisitions manager in 2022.

His focus is clear: to drive the Musgrave retail brands in Northern Ireland and welcome entrepreneurs who want to be part of the largest convenience retail group on the island of Ireland.

Barry explains: “The Musgrave Group has a long history, a sixth generation family-owned business, now 147 years old.

Growing Good Business is our fundamental purpose, and we are committed to creating a sustainable, profitable business that benefits our shareholders, our people, our retail partners, the local communities we serve and the wider economy.

“Our retail partners are the life blood of our business and supporting them to ensure their success is core to our operations. We have seen many partners grow their portfolios from one store to two, three or four stores – this level of growth and loyalty reflects the strength of our brands.”

Across the Island of Ireland, Musgrave has 1,250 retail stores, and in Northern Ireland that equates to a network of more than 210 SuperValu, Centra, Mace and 16

Musgrave MarketPlace stores, making Musgrave the largest grocery distributor on the island of Ireland.

Its Belfast distribution centre, which services the retail brands, has a team of 200 people, passionate about delivering excellent customer service while Musgrave’s central support functions are continuously innovating to provide customers with the best service, choice, quality and value for money. And it is these reasons, Barry explains, that ensure Musgrave can provide the very best in local retailing and wholesaling.

He explains: “Redefining retail is our

mantra. We have a £14m store investment programme underway this year alongside a £5.6m investment in value, helping shoppers manage the increasing cost of living. We spend £160m annually on local food and drink, and we have exclusive food-togo brands including Moo’d Ice-Cream, Green Kitchen and Rotisserie Chicken.

The acquisition of Drinks Inc in 2019 also means exclusivity on alcohol ranges for the Musgrave network while our gourmet coffee brand, Frank and Honest, is the number one on-the-go coffee brand on the island of Ireland.”

Colm Devlin, who owns Centra Crossmaglen, as well as three Mace stores, shares his experience of being a Musgrave NI retail partner: “I joined the Musgrave group in 2016 and they made the whole process very smooth for me and the customer. Musgrave offers our shoppers a one-stop-shop, with extensive fresh offerings, meal solutions, Frank and Honest coffee and everyday essentials making it easier for the local community to get everything they need close to home. They have always been there with support, advice and are a constant source of guidance when needed.”

With award-winning brands under their belt, Musgrave NI is set on growing its store network further and Barry and his team are keen to discuss opportunities with interested entrepreneurs, both retailers and commercial operators alike.

“We are always on the look-out for new opportunities – whether that’s identifying a greenfield site for a new development, changing the use of an existing business or competitor conversions – and would encourage any interested parties to get in touch.”

Barry can be contacted on 07795 965204 or via email barry.holland@musgrave.ie.

My Life in the Grocery Trade NAME: SHERA McALORAN ROLE: MANAGING DIRECTOR COMPANY: KARRI KITCHEN BRIEFLY OUTLINE YOUR EMPLOYMENT HISTORY TO DATE I started off my career as a flight attendant for Lion Air, one of the biggest Indonesian airlines operating across South-East Asia, and made the decision to then move to Australia and pursue a career in something I was passionate about - good food.

I secured a job as the café and store manager for Aboutlife, an incredible organic marketplace, one of the largest in Australia.

Following on from this, like any good story, I fell in love with an Irish man and moved half-way across the world to be with him. Having settled into life in Northern Ireland, I immediately set about getting back into the health/nutrition space and joined Tiro nutrition as part of their business development team.

I am now the owner and managing director of Karri Kitchen, an awardwinning food manufacturer specialising in healthy south-east Asian ready meals and snacks. Nestled in Co Armagh, Karri Kitchen’s super tasty, healthy dishes are distributed to local stores across Northern Ireland and direct to consumers from our Karri Kitchen HQ. We are massive stalwarts of intuitive eating at KK - listening to your

body and trusting its instincts to make better choices around fresh, nutritious food - without judgement and influence from a ‘dieting’ culture.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? My role involves overseeing the whole operation of Karri Kitchen. From managing the kitchen and production team, to organising our business strategy and everything that entails. One of my favourite things I get to do is developing new product ideas. I’ll examine business and industry trends and see if we can expand on this and make healthy nutritious variants to fit our ethos at Karri.

WHEN DID YOU TAKE UP THIS POST? I started Karri Kitchen from my own home in 2019. From a one-person job to a fully-fledged factory operation here now in 2022, we have seen unprecedented growth in the business and we are so excited to see how far we can take it.

BRIEFLY OUTLINE A TYPICAL DAY Most days, I usually get up at 5.20am – some days I get to the gym, others I am straight to work. At work by 7am at the latest, I start with a daily briefing with the production and kitchen team.

Work involves a lot of meetings, some days I will be in the kitchen testing some new recipes, other days I will be

in production, overseeing things and garnering feedback from staff.

Other days I will help with logistics or be on reception serving and interacting with our customers.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? The proudest moment just happened recently when we won, not only one, but two NIFDA awards: Healthier Product Innovation and Highly Commended Small Company Product.

When my home Indonesia was mentioned alongside Northern Ireland and all of the incredible local produce, it was one of the proudest moments in my life.

To bring the flavours I grew up with to Northern Ireland and that to be celebrated was truly special.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? I like to run, especially trail running.

Running allows me to experience nature.

Also, it makes me feel empowered and resilient, which I carry over into my daily life.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW I was graduating as a fashion designer back in Indonesia and won a couture design award for Jakarta Fashion Festival, one of the biggest fashion events in all of Indonesia.

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

SUPPLY CHAIN THREATS SHOW NEED TO GROW MORE LOCAL PRODUCE

BY MICHELE SHIRLOW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FOOD NI

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e were delighted in Food NI to work with local Vegetable Advocates to promote greater consumption of healthy ‘greens’ last month. Our support for this worthy initiative is a reflection of our focus on supporting all sectors in the local food industry and also for activities showcasing the importance of sustainability to address the growing and worrying challenges of climate change.

This support also reflects our vision for a balanced local food and drink industry, as seen in the Our Food: Power of Good promotional campaign which appears on television, radio and social media. We are dedicated to encouraging and assisting all sectors of food and drink here to prosper.

We’d certainly like to see a greater focus on measures to promote greater production of vegetable crops. We’ve been very impressed by the initiative of VegNI and their Parful Produce campaign and the imaginative Source Grow system of matching growers and restaurants.

While there are a number of very successful growers of vegetables, we believe, nevertheless, that there is significant scope for more vegetables to be grown here and that retailers could certainly help towards this worthy objective, the achievement of which could contribute to improving the health of everyone in the community and also support sustainability especially following last year’s COP26 environmental summit.

Vegetable Advocate volunteers focused on an imaginative Love Veg NI in a sevenday meal challenge, inviting local people to ‘have a go’ and pledge to include more veggies in their diet over the seven days and well beyond. Local shoppers were challenged to seek out and support the daily purchase of vegetables grown locally and in season in Northern Ireland.

And there’s a wide variety of traditional vegetables already being grown here.

There are also some very unusual crops such as pak choi – being grown in Ballymena – and Japanese wasabi in Tandragee.

The overall aim is to Increase veg 18

consumption substantially over the period. The campaign focused on the high quality and availability of local vegetables, their value for money, health benefits and the variety of meals that can be enjoyed using veggies.

Lord Mayor of Belfast, Councillor Kate Nicholl, was on the button at the launch of the novel campaign when she said: “We have such wonderful produce right here on our doorsteps in Northern Ireland and supporting local producers and traders not only helps to boost the local economy, but also contributes more widely to helping the environment.

Eating locally-grown vegetables, she added, also benefits the environment by reducing the carbon footprint of products imported from other parts of the world.

We all need to commit and do more to look after our endangered planet. Adding more locally grown seasonal vegetables will certainly support this.

The challenge will also benefit local farmers due to the focus on including a variety of veg ONLY grown here, in at least one meal each day for seven days.

Culinary Arts Management Students at the University of Ulster pledged enthusiastic support for the challenge and supported workshops.

Diners at the recently opened Academy Restaurant in Belfast enjoyed a variety of fresh, local vegetables. It would be good too to see more public bodies here ordering local veggies from their supplies. Indeed, Food NI has been encouraging the public sector here to specify local supplies of all foods required. Buying more local food and drink would be good for the producers and, of course, the wider economy. We appreciate greatly the far reaching engagement of the university in the campaign and look forward to continuing the further development of our relationship with the university.

It’s all about eating more veg for health and supporting local enterprise.

Vegetable Advocates is part of a UK wide Peas Please project launched in 2017 by the Food Foundation. It’s an initiative which Food NI has also backed since then. Vegetable Advocates is being supported by us to engage with local communities, farmers, retailers and manufactures to achieve a common goal of increasing vegetable consumption.

As the environmental summit emphasised, the expanding impact of the climate crisis demands collective action, a transformation of society and individual behaviours. We all can - and must – take part in the efforts to address the challenges of climate change.

We are, furthermore, working closely with Executive departments particularly Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs and Tourism NI on ‘green’ initiatives and continue to provide our specialist expertise and mentoring to our 500 member companies in food and drink production and hospitality.

It’s vitally important that the industry be assisted effectively to enable it to respond to the essential requirements to address climate change by reducing our overall carbon footprint on the environment. There is simply no realistic alternative.

ADVERTORIAL

Boost Drinks INTRODUCES NEW FRUIT PUNCH

250ML CAN TO SUCCESSFUL ENERGY RANGE

COMPANY : BOOST DRINKS

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oost, the owner of Northern Ireland’s bestselling soft drink within the local convenience channel1 has revamped its portfolio with the launch of Boost Energy Fruit Punch 250ml can.

The brand is introducing its new Fruit Punch flavour, which is one of the fastest growing flavours in the energy drink category and is growing at a rate of 28% YoY accounting for 28% of unit sales for flavours1.

Boost currently has a sugar free variant of Fruit Punch within its portfolio, which went against category norms of full sugar.

However, it is now introducing this brand new variant with a tropical and peach flavour profile to the full sugar Punch category.

Boost Energy Fruit Punch is available from April at 65p PMP, with the new SKU continuing to do things the Boost way, creating great tasting products with good margins.

Amy Ankrah, customer marketing manager at Boost, said: “The energy stimulation market is very much driven by taste and flavours with consumers increasingly looking for flavoured variants when choosing an energy drink2.

Flavoured energy now accounts for 34% of the mainstream energy market and is growing faster than Original3.

MD of Hardy’s Distribution, Gareth Hardy, Boost’s NI distribution partner, said: “We are excited to introduce this exciting new addition in Northern Ireland,

just in time for the summer months and we look forward to watching the new SKU go from strength to strength.”

To support the NPD, Boost is activating a wide-ranging marketing communications programme for Boost Energy Fruit Punch including OOH and digital advertising, trade and consumer PR, press and influencer engagement, social media launch campaign, print and digital trade advertising, consumer and experiential sampling, depot activation, retailer and depot POS as well as a distribution drive in May. The new product will be available within the trade from April and will be available in 250ml cans in cases of 24.

1 Source: IRI Marketplace Convenience NI 12 weeks unit sales to 23.01.22 2 Mintel Sports and Energy Drinks Market 2019 3 Wholesale Manager Jan 2019

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

MEET THE JUDGES E

ntry is now closed for the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2022, with the shortlist to be published in our May edition ahead of the Awards ceremony at the Grocers’ Ball on May 27.

Gratitude is due to this year’s illustrious judging panel: PROFESSOR BARRY QUINN – ULSTER UNIVERSITY Barry Quinn has been based at Ulster University Business School for 25 years. He is Professor of Retail Marketing. His areas of expertise include SME growth and innovation in food and retail. He has led on a number of research projects that have addressed topics such as small business development, policy support for small business, and the business development needs of retailers based in rural areas. His work has been published widely in titles such as Journal

of Rural Studies, International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management, and Journal of International Marketing.

RIKI NEILL – RNN COMMUNICATIONS Riki Neill is a chartered communications professional with over 20 years’ experience in the creation and delivery of allIreland FMCG, retail and brand campaigns.

Riki founded RNN Communications in 2013, and it has been named Outstanding Small Agency at the CIPR Pride Awards in 2019 and 2015.

In 2021, one of RNN’s client campaigns was named as one of the top integrated campaigns in the UK by the PRCA at its Digital Awards. Specialties include communications strategies for businesses operating in the renewables sector.

Last year, RNN launched fetch Ireland, a digital platform connecting brands with micro influencers. Riki sits on the PRCA

THE GROCERYAID GROCERS’ BALL IS BACK ON MAY 27

The Grocery Aid Committee: Angus O’Neill, Sainsbury’s; Karen McGarvey, Mediahuis; Mark Gowdy, White’s Oats; Jonathan McWhinney, Tesco; Bronagh Luke, Henderson Group; Simon Fitzpatrick, Coca Cola; and Brian Sterling, Holywood Partnership.

HAVE YOU GOT YOUR TICKETS YET? WHO ARE GROCERYAID? GroceryAid is a charitable organisation, supporting colleagues in the grocery industry with emotional, practical and financial support, when they need it most.

Supporting grocery people since 1857, the last few years have been particularly busy with 3,183 people across GB and NI having received financial support, an increase of 209% on the previous year. Calls to the

helpline increased by 24%, resulting in a 12% increase in colleagues helped. And locally GroceryAid has doubled its funding to Northern Ireland colleagues over the last two years.

To continue this support, our fundraising efforts remain as important as ever. Thank you to all who have supported us to date.

GROCERYAID GROCERS’ BALL The key fundraising event for GroceryAid in Northern Ireland is the prestigious Grocers’ Ball, taking place on Friday 27th May 2022 at the Culloden Estate & Spa,

committee in Northern Ireland, is a member of the CIPR and a judge of both the CIPR Pride Awards and PRCA DARE Awards.

JOHN D’ARCY OBE – THE OPEN UNIVERSITY John D’Arcy has been The Open University’s national director for Ireland since 2010. Prior to that, John was chief executive of Colleges NI; director of BDO Management Consultants; principal officer for research, CCEA; and research fellow with the Northern Ireland Council for Educational Research. He is a trustee of The Lightbody Foundation; former chair of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, Enterprise NI and Audiences NI. He is a Board member of the Open College Network; Matrix Panel and AONTAS, Ireland’s Lifelong Learning Organisation.

John has also been a Board member of Sport NI and the BBC’s Broadcasting Council. He was awarded an OBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to education and the arts.

Holywood, Co Down.

This black-tie celebration, incorporating the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards, promises an evening of great food, drink and entertainment, whilst a raffle, auction and hamper per couple adds an extra sparkle to the event.

A table of 10 costs £1,500, individual seats can be purchased at £150.00 per person. All profits from the event go towards supporting colleagues in our industry here at home. Places are selling fast, however we have a few tables left.

If you can’t make the event, you could help by donating prizes or hamper products.

For tickets or to offer support, please contact GroceryAid committee member Mark Gowdy mark.gowdy@whitesoats.com If you’d be interested in joining our GroceryAid committee, please contact our chairman Angus.oneill@sainsburys.co.uk Thanks again for your continued support of GroceryAid.

CSR NEWS

MUSGRAVE NI LENDS ITS SUPPORT TO UNICEF UKRAINE CRISIS APPEAL

Trevor Magill, managing director of Musgrave NI.

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usgrave NI launched a major fundraising campaign to support people impacted by the crisis in Ukraine last month.

Shoppers in SuperValu, Centra, Musgrave MarketPlace and Mace will be

able to donate £2 in Northern Ireland via a simple ‘Tap to Donate’ mechanism at the till.

100% of the funds donated will go directly to help support the immediate humanitarian response.

As part of the campaign, Musgrave Group will donate over £200,000 to two charities actively supporting people on the ground in Ukraine: UNICEF and the Irish Red Cross.

“In recent days, our thoughts have been with all Ukrainian people and our colleagues and friends from Ukraine,” said Trevor Magill, managing director of Musgrave NI.

DALE FARM & CANCER FOCUS NI CELEBRATE FUNDRAISING MILESTONE

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airy cooperative Dale Farm has raised £10,000 in support of its corporate charity partner, Cancer Focus Northern Ireland.

Since the partnership launched in 2019, Anna Busby, Dale Farm; Ross Lorimer; Judith Irwin, Dale Farm; Rosie Forsythe, Cancer Focus Dale Farm team NI; and Caroline Martin, Dale Farm. members from across the business have been working hard to raise both funds and awareness for the charity, with activities including Christmas Jumper Day, raffles and lunchtime webinars.

Cancer Focus NI has been supporting local cancer patients and their families for over 50 years and all money raised will be used to help people affected by cancer in Northern Ireland.

“Cancer affects so many across Northern Ireland and Cancer Focus NI does vital work to support patients and their families, as well as raising awareness within our communities to help people lower their risk of cancer,” said Caroline Martin, corporate marketing & communications manager at Dale Farm.

Rosie Forsythe, corporate fundraiser at Cancer Focus NI, said: “Every year we support local people affected by cancer and your donation will now, more than ever, help us to save our services so that we can continue to help people affected by cancer in the future.”

Dale Farm employees have more fundraising activities planned for this year including entering several relay teams into the Belfast City Marathon in support of Cancer Focus NI. 22

“Our main concern is for the safety of people in the region, and Musgrave NI, together with our retail partners, colleagues, and customers, want to do what we can to help. UNICEF told us that donating money is the fastest and most effective way to help those affected by this crisis at this time.”

Peter Power, executive director, UNICEF Ireland, said: “The children of Ukraine need help now. Through this action by Musgrave and their customers, UNICEF will be able to protect more children living in conflict and scale up our life-saving programmes for children.”

RETAILERS RAISE OVER £10,000 IN MEMORY OF FAMILY & COLLEAGUES

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hirty SPAR and EUROSPAR stores across the North Down and East Belfast area have collectively raised £10,143 for PIPs, the suicide and self-harm prevention charity for Northern Ireland, in memory of their colleague and colleague’s family member who lost their lives to suicide last year.

EUROSPAR Rathkeale Road Assistant Manager Jack Spurling lost his brother Gary in July, while EUROSPAR Hardford Link lost its team leader Ryan Mills in November.

The store also raised money for Ryan’s family to help with his funeral costs.

Neighbouring stores across the Ards, Bangor, Millisle, Portaferry and East Belfast areas also fundraised for PIPS. Staff at EUROSPAR Ladas Drive and EUROSPAR Rathgael Road clocked up the miles for donations on exercise bikes and EUROSPAR Portaferry ran prize-winning raffles while EUROSPAR Millisle held a ‘guess the sweets’ competition.

“To have both our store teams affected by suicide in the past year left a huge impact on us all and we wanted to rally around our friends and their families,” said Nigel Walker, senior store manager at EUROSPAR Rathgael Road, Bangor and EUROSPAR Hardford Link, Newtownards.

“We hope the money raised April Clarke, Gransha community will help support representative; Jack Spurling, assistant individuals, family manager, Rathgael Road; Leona Parson, file maintenance clerk; and, front, Sam McCann, members and friends who are struggling.” senior store manager.

ADVERTORIAL

Roll on into 2022 with O’Reilly’s COMPANY : O’REILLY’S

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ust like most other wholesale distributor companies of fast-moving consumer goods on this island, O’Reilly’s Wholesale has fought through a difficult year and continues to survive and thrive, improving on market retention and competitiveness in a very different trading world to that of two years ago. Growth has been exceptional, and the last year has been particularly good due to new products being sourced by their trading team and exceptional demand for the retailer with basket item numbers having increased significantly.

This period we are concentrating our offerings of crisps, snacks and ‘Better For You’ products. This is a huge portfolio of listings with many of the ‘Better For You’ products having experienced a surge since on-the-go shopping experiences have increased - cereal bars and protein bars along with healthy snack bars too. Whilst consumers are looking for the healthier option they are not willing to compromise on taste. The trading team are like a set of balancing scales, most often getting the selections right!

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Derek O’Reilly commented: “The world doesn’t stay still, even through lockdowns, circuit breakers and many kinds of restrictions. Our customers still require our services, their consumers still require a full portfolio of products to purchase and at prices that we can heavily negotiate to give them the best options on pack size and price, as we have continued to do for the last 60 years.”

At O’Reilly’s we are always encouraging ‘Focus on the Basics’. That way if the building blocks are strong, service levels on core categories of ranges of crisps, snacks and ‘Better For You’ are stable and making it easier for our customers to order a wider range, then we are stronger and more able to encourage and grow our customer relationships. Technology has helped this along. Whilst we may initially feel that technology replaces people, this is certainly not the case at O’Reilly’s. Technology has allowed us more time to spend building the basics - the strong relationships that we are so fortunate to have with customers.

Within the O’Reilly’s branding portfolio, O’Reilly’s Wholesale, O’Reilly’s Distribution (their ROI company) and their newest addition, Elzoor, all work in tandem. This gives them an upper hand to deliver far and wide. Their newest brand Elzoor, with its strap line, you click

we pick, will indicate that it is an online ordering service that is used worldwide and therefore any product that they hold amongst their 5,000 different lines can be ordered and shipped in full cases to anywhere in the world. Derek commented: “This service was quickly developed as the pandemic kicked off. It was out of necessity really as consumers wanted access to bulk items but didn’t want to have to go to the big multinationals for them. Having the items delivered straight to their door was their preference and we were able, very quickly to facilitate that.”

The trading team keep sourcing, the sales team keep selling and the delivery team keep delivering in the new big beast lorries. It’s a win-win situation all round. Roll on into 2022 with us here at O’Reilly’s – you’ll be glad you did!

ADVERTORIAL

ORMO® Giant Pancakes arrive with a

FEE-FI-FO-YUM

COMPANY : ORMO

“THE CONVENIENT RESEALABLE PACK IS INTENDED TO ASSIST WITH MINIMISING FOOD WASTE BY ALLOWING THE CONSUMER TO OPEN AND THEN RESEAL THE PACK AND IS ALSO NOW RECYCLABLE AT LARGE SUPERMARKETS.“

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t will be another exciting year for the ORMO® brand in 2022. The strategic drivers of the last five years will continue with product innovation and quality at the heart of everything we do.

The pancake category is one of the largest of the Total Other Bakery’s sub segments equating to a MAT Unit Share of 20% 1 under-pinning its importance as a key category. ORMO Pancakes have enjoyed recent success driven by the launch of the ORMO Pancake Reseal packs in January 2020 and the launch of ORMO Protein Pancakes in April 2021.

ORMO Peel & Reseal pancake packs was a first for the ORMO brand in this packaging format. The pack was widely accepted by Northern Ireland consumers and drove ORMO pancake Unit Share growth from 11>13% 2.

In April of this year, ORMO will launch ORMO Giant Pancakes. The Giant Pancake sub category is one of the fastest growing segments with a +26 % MAT Unit growth, growing over 435, 000 units over the last 52 weeks 3.

ORMO Giant Pancakes will deliver the same great taste of our ORMO standard pancakes... but will be bigger and come in a re-sealable pack and is fully recyclable at large supermarkets. This aims to address two targets namely to reduce food waste and encourage recycling of

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ADVERTORIAL

“THE LAUNCH WILL BE SUPPORTED WITH A NEW CAMPAIGN LINE ‘FEE-FI-FO YUM’ WHICH WE HOPE WILL CAPTURE OUR CONSUMERS’ IMAGINATION TO REACH OUT AND TRY OUR NEW GIANT PANCAKES FORMAT.”

our packaging. These two key attributes will give the Giant Pancakes an important purchasing differentiator for consumers in Northern Ireland.

ORMO Giant Pancakes will launch in April 2022 across convenience and grocery channels in Northern Ireland supported by an impactful Shopper Campaign….’FEEFI-FO YUM, YUM, YUM, YUM’. This memorable campaign features the iconic Northern Irish giant Finn McCool enjoying

the new Giant Pancakes. It is only fitting that ORMO Giant Pancakes are enjoyed

by Northern Ireland’s iconic, friendly giant! The campaign will include trade press, outdoor and in store point of sale.

Trevor McCrum, commercial director (Ireland), comments: “We are delighted to be launching our new ORMO Giant Pancakes format, consumers can now enjoy our great tasting Giant pancakes.

The convenient re-sealable pack is

intended to assist with minimising food waste by allowing the consumer to open and then reseal the pack and is also now recyclable at large supermarkets. The launch will be supported with a new campaign line ‘FEE-FI-FO YUM’ which we hope will capture our consumers’ imagination to reach out and try our new Giant Pancakes format.”

1 Nielsen Scantrack EPOS Total Other Bakery Northern Ireland MAT Unit Share to 4th December 2021 2 Nielsen Scantrack EPOS Total Northern Ireland Pancake MAT Unit Share to 4th December 2021 3 Nielsen Scantrack EPOS Total Northern Ireland Giant Pancake MAT Unit percentage change & unit change to 4th December 2021

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FOOD & DRINK NEWS

INNOVATIVE LOCAL COMPANIES CELEBRATED AT NI FOOD AND DRINK AWARDS COMPANY : NIFDA AWARDS

Niall Martindale, firmus energy, with Sharon Campbell and Eamonn Donnelly, Dale Farm. Dale Farm won the Large Company Best New Product award for Dromona Lactose Free Sliced Cheese.

Niall Martindale, firmus energy and JP Lyttle, Genesis Bakery.

Genesis Bakery was awarded the Medium Company Best New Product Award for its Meringue A Tang Biscake.

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he Northern Ireland Food and Drink Awards saw 400 guests turn out in style to celebrate winners across 13 categories at a gala ceremony hosted by the BBC’s Mark Simpson in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Belfast on March 11.

Hosted by the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) and supported by principal sponsor firmus energy, the awards are widely recognised as a key indicator of quality and success for food manufacturers and processors, 28

Niall Martindale, firmus energy is pictured with Dr Terry Cross OBE, Hinch Distillery. Hinch Distillery collected the Small Company Best New Product award for Hinch Whiskey.

offering local companies an invaluable opportunity to showcase innovative, quality products in front of key customers and stakeholders.

This year’s awards were bigger than ever, with categories including new additions the Environmental Sustainability Award and Healthier Product Innovation Award.

The four firmus energy Best New Product awards were picked up by Dale Farm in the large company category with Dromona Lactose Free Sliced cheese, and

Genesis Bakery in the medium company category for its Meringue A Tang Biscake.

Hinch Distillery collected the small company category award for Hinch Whiskey, while Karri Kitchen was named highly commended for Mango Chicken Curry. Cookstown-based Big Pot Co won the micro company award with Vegan Sweet Potato Soup and received highly commended for its Vegan Butternut Squash and Chipotle Bean Soup in the same category.

“Food and drink is one of Northern

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

Alison and Malcolm Seaney, Big Pot Co are pictured with Niall Martindale (left), firmus energy. Big Pot Co picked up the Micro Company Best New Product award for its Vegan Sweet Potato Soup, and also was highly commended in the same category for its Vegan Butternut Squash and Chipotle Bean Soup.

Ireland’s key strategic sectors, supporting some 113,000 jobs across the supply chain and generating £4.9bn value added here annually,” said Michael Bell, executive director, NIFDA. “That commercial success is built on the passion, ingenuity and hard work of food and drink companies of all sizes right across Northern Ireland. The awards are a celebration of those companies, and the people within them.

“On behalf of all of us at NIFDA, I would like to thank everyone who entered, our event sponsors and our expert judges – this event would not be possible without their hard work and support. Our congratulations go to all of tonight’s winners, they should be proud of their achievements, and we look

forward to their continued growth and further success in the future.”

Niall Martindale, interim managing director at firmus energy, principal sponsor for the event said: “It has been a privilege to support NIFDA as the 2022 principal Awards sponsor.

“Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector continues to go from strength to strength and firmus energy has an important role to play to support it. By connecting companies to the gas network and introducing sustainable gases such as Biomethane and Hydrogen into the gas network in the future, we can help the industry operate more sustainably and deliver the government’s net zero carbon goals.

“On behalf of all at firmus energy I

AWARD

The Re-Gen Waste Environmental Sustainability Award was jointly won by Dunbia and Green Fingers Family. Joseph Doherty, managing director, Re-Gen Waste presented Louise Harkness and Emma Dennison, Dunbia with the award.

would like to offer our congratulations to all winners, and all entrants across the 13 awards categories.”

FULL LIST OF AWARD WINNERS

SPONSOR

James McIntosh, Safefood, presenting Dr Gary McMahon, Moy Park, with the Food Safety Champion Award.

WINNERS

firmus energy

Large Company Product Award

Dale Farm with Dromona Lactose Free Sliced Cheese

firmus energy

Medium Company Product Award

Genesis Bakery with Meringue A Tang Biscake

firmus energy

Small Company Product Award

Winner - Hinch Distillery with Hinch Whiskey; Highly Commended – Karri Kitchen with Mango Chicken Curry

firmus energy

Micro Company Product Award

Winner - Big Pot Company with Vegan Sweet Potato Soup; Highly Commended – Big Pot Co with Vegan Butternut Squash and Chipotle Bean Soup

NIFDA

Service Sector Award

The Brunch Box Sandwich Company with Mango & Cranberry Overnight Oats

NIFDA

Outstanding Contribution to NI Food & Drink Award

Denis Lynn, Lynn’s Country Foods/Finnebrogue Artisan

DAERA

Sustainable Agri-Food Supply Chain Excellence Award

Linden Foods for NI Wagyu Supply Chain

Food Standards Agency NI

Healthier Product Innovation Award

Karri Kitchen

NIFDA

Food & Drink Sector Skills Award

Winner – Moy Park’s Culinary Academy; Highly Commended – Johnsons Coffee

NIFDA

Outstanding Food & Drink Industry Leadership Award

Ursula Lavery, technical and R&D director Europe, Moy Park and NIFDA board member

Invest NI

Best International/GB Product Launch Award

Finnebrogue Bacon without the Oink

Re-Gen Waste

Environmental Sustainability Award

Joint Winner – Dunbia and Green Fingers Family

Safefood

Food Safety Champion Award

Dr Gary McMahon, Moy Park

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AGRI-FOOD NEWS

REPORT HIGHLIGHTS INEQUALITIES & RISKS FOR WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE

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edex has marked International Women’s Day (March 8) by releasing a report revealing the inequalities, challenges and risks for women working in agriculture.

Supplying a global online platform for companies to manage and improve working conditions in global supply chains, Sedex helps companies adopt responsible and sustainable business practices.

The report, Progressing gender equality in agriculture, offers crucial insight and actions for organisations sourcing from agricultural industries to drive gender equality in supply chains.

An estimated 28% of people working globally are in the agricultural sector[i], making it a major employer that many businesses are connected to

UFU LAUNCHES ITS MANIFESTO FOR NI ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS 2022

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lster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has officially launched its manifesto for the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections 2022, which will be distributed to all political parties in NI ahead of the elections on May 5.

“Within our UFU manifesto we have highlighted our vision of a productive, profitable and progressive farming sector which can deliver for the environment, the consumer and the economy,” said Victor Chestnutt, president, UFU. “We are world leaders in highquality food production, setting the bar when it comes to animal welfare and environmental standards. We underpin 30

through their supply chain. Agriculture is also one of the world’s most hazardous industries for workers[ii].

Women comprise about 43% of agricultural workers[iii]. While this work provides crucial economic opportunities, female workers in agriculture are often more exposed to physical, financial and other risks than their male counterparts.

Understanding these risks and what actions businesses should take to address them are key to progressing gender equality in supply chains, with gender-disaggregated data a key enabler.

High-risk issues within agriculture vary between countries, but some are consistently high, including insufficient wages and irregular employment, with women often more vulnerable. [i] https://ilostat.ilo.org/100-statisticson-the-ilo-and-the-labour-market/ - no.36 [ii] https://www.ilo.org/ safework/areasofwork/hazardous-work/ WCMS_110188/lang--en/index.htm [iii] https://www.cgiar.org/news-events/ news/cgiar-celebrates-internationalwomens-day-2021/

the food and drink industry, the largest local manufacturing sector, enabling us to make a fundamental contribution to the economy while also supporting rural and urban communities.

“Our unique farm family structure is a key part of NI’s fabric and it’s critical that agriculture is supported as we go forward.

“We have outlined key strategic actions on a number of important policy areas Victor Chestnutt including climate change, the Future Agriculture Policy, NI Protocol, UK trade deals, labour shortages and bovine TB, as well as other sectoral specific issues that need to be addressed urgently.

“At the time of producing the manifesto, Russia had not invaded Ukraine but now the aftermath of the ongoing attack is posing a huge threat to global food supplies and input costs continue to skyrocket. In particular, the price of energy and fertiliser, which is substantially impacting the cost of production.”

WOMEN IN AGRICULTURE REPORT LAUNCHED AT STORMONT

Clare Bailey, MLA; Rosemary Barton, MLA; David Brown, UFU deputy president; Declan McAleer, MLA and AERA Committee chair; and Louise Coyle, NIRWN.

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lster Farmers’ Union (UFU) attended the launch of the report, Breaking the Grass Ceiling Challenges Women Experience in the Local Agriculture Sector, at Stormont on International Women’s Day (March 8).

The significant policy area was investigated by the Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee and will be extremely important for future generations.

“We’ve been lobbying for several years to increase the recognition given to women in agriculture and to highlight the important role they have within farm families as well as the wider industry,” said David Brown, deputy president, UFU. “This report is extremely encouraging especially for young women and girls looking to pursue a career in agriculture. The agri-food industry has come on massively over the past number of years and through hard work, perseverance and a passion for what they do, more women are managing farm businesses and taking on leadership roles, something that we want to see continue.”

The report can be found on the NI Assembly website, while female UFU members can also avail of benefits from its partnership with Women in Business.

BALMORAL SHOW PREVIEW

LMC CONTINUES SPONSORSHIP OF COMPETITION CLASSES AT BALMORAL SHOW

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ith the countdown well and truly on to the 153rd Balmoral Show, the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) is delighted to announce its continued sponsorship of the show and four competition classes.

“LMC is looking forward to returning to Balmoral Park from Wednesday 11 May to Saturday 14 May,” said Lauren Patterson, LMC marketing and communications manager. “Balmoral Show is undoubtedly one of the major highlights in the agricultural calendar and LMC is delighted to continue its sponsorship of this important event.

“Friday 13 May will see the return of the sheep interbreed pairs championship and the beef interbreed champion of champions, sponsored by LMC. Sheep young handlers will kick off the LMC sponsored event activity on Saturday morning at the sheep rings.

“In the afternoon the action moves to the cattle rings where entrants will compete to take the top spot in the beef group of 5 championship, with LMC sponsoring the native breed and continental breed categories.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to return to Balmoral Park and look forward to welcoming our stakeholders and members of the public on to the LMC stand once again.

“Climate change, sustainability, farm

Adam Armour and his award-winning Angus cow, named beef interbreed champion of champions at Balmoral Show 2021, with Gerard McGivern, chairman, LMC.

support policy, animal health, beef and sheep trade, market access, food security, input costs, quality assurance, consumer sentiment; just some of the many issues we expect to be front and centre of discussions at the show this year, so come along and chat to the team at LMC who will be on hand for the four days of the show.

“Our new stand layout lends itself perfectly to live interactive cookery demonstrations. We are thrilled to confirm that our demonstrator team will return to Balmoral Show this year.

Over the course of the four days, the demonstrator team will showcase the

quality, flavour and versatility of Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured beef and lamb.

“While visitors relax in our outdoor seated area, our demonstrator team will create culinary delights in our integrated kitchen area.

“We have no doubt that their tasty dishes will go down a treat, but don’t just take our word for it, come along and sample them for yourself.

“If you’re heading to Balmoral Show this year be sure to stop by and say hello, we’d love to see you. You’ll find us at stand B4, located opposite the main arena.”

BALMORAL SHOW ANNOUNCES ITS PLATINUM SPONSORS FOR 2022 T he 153rd Balmoral Show has welcomed the support of its four main platinum sponsors, ABP, M&S, SPAR and Tesco.

“We would like to thank our platinum sponsors for their continued support of Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event,” said Rhonda Geary, operations director, RUAS. “We are delighted to see the return of the 153rd Show back to its usual date in May and once again, we are set to have four jam-packed days of family fun planned for 11-14 May 2022 at Balmoral Park, Lisburn.”

The Balmoral Show in partnership with Ulster Bank will return to Balmoral Park from Wednesday 11th May to Saturday 14th May 2022. All tickets must be purchased online at www.balmoralshow.co.uk.

For the latest updates on the Show visit www. balmoralshow.co.uk or follow Balmoral Show on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

George Mullan from ABP, Bronagh Luke from SPAR, Tracey Lowry from M&S and Michael Crealey from Tesco.

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ADVERTORIAL

SPAR NI puts Love of Local Producers on show for Balmoral 2022

COMPANY : HENDERSON GROUP

SPAR NI WILL BE PUTTING ITS LOVE OF LOCAL PRODUCERS AT THE HEART OF BALMORAL SHOW WHEN THE EVENT RETURNS TO ITS SPRING DATES, 11–14 MAY AT BALMORAL PARK

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s Platinum sponsor of The Show, the team at SPAR NI will be welcoming visitors to their stand where they can sample SPAR’s wide range of high quality tonight’s tea products, created in collaboration with local producers, while playing host to tractor-loads of family fun and giveaways across the four days.

Bronagh Luke, head of corporate marketing, says Balmoral Show is the perfect place to connect their suppliers and shoppers, commenting: “At SPAR NI, we are passionate about our local producers, our local communities and our shoppers. At the beginning of the year, we launched our Joy of Living Locally campaign, which focuses on our drive for continued value, supporting our local agri-food industry, and nurturing the neighbourhoods that our retailers call home.

“Local has taken on a whole new meaning in the past couple of years. Shoppers are even more reliant on getting good value and trusted customer experiences with 32

their local retailers, who became the hubs of their communities during the pandemic. We’re here to show that SPAR is at the heart of their community, providing everyday value with faces in-store who they know and trust.

“Joy of Living Locally encompasses all that is wonderful about where we live, and we will be bringing our passion for local food with us to Balmoral Show and celebrating our wonderful suppliers that help us fill up the shelves of our stores with locally sourced and locally made products.”

Henderson Group, which owns the SPAR brand in Northern Ireland, sources over 75% of its fresh food locally, and SPAR NI’s own brands, SPAR Enjoy Local, The Kitchen, The CHEF and Greengrocer’s ranges are created in collaboration with local farmers, growers and producers and available in almost 500 SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO, ViVOXTRA and ViVO Essentials stores across Northern Ireland.

SPAR NI has a huge presence at Balmoral Show, and in its 11th year as Platinum sponsor, the brand will sponsor the Children’s Farm in the Healthy Horticultural Village for the second year, while the on-site SPAR store will provide fresh sandwiches, snacks and coffee for visitors and exhibitors for the duration of the Show.

The team will also support SPAR’s

charity partner Marie Curie, alongside EUROSPAR and ViVOXTRA charity partner, Cancer Fund for Children with their now instantly recognisable red Stetsons, which visitors can pick up from the SPAR NI stand for a small donation towards the charities.

Bronagh added: “Visitors to the Show are incredibly generous and it’s fantastic to see the sea of red hats amongst the crowds around Balmoral Park. We have no doubt the crowds will once again be extremely generous towards our two very deserving charity partners.

“Balmoral Show is an opportunity for us to further build on the rapport between our brand and our shoppers, providing even more awareness for our retailers across Northern Ireland. Our retailers will benefit from an integrated marketing campaign in the lead up and during the Show in May, focusing on the origins of the local food we source and produce, and sell in-store.”

For more on SPAR NI at The Balmoral Show 2022, visit spar-ni.co.uk.

MARKETING NEWS

SUPERVALU & CENTRA INVEST £5.6M IN EVERYDAY VALUE AS INFLATION BITES

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usgrave Group has put a £5.6m figure price tag on its commitment to providing value for money to its customers in response to the increased cost of living.

Its convenience and grocery brands SuperValu and Centra will invest £5.6m in value throughout 2022, in a bid to help shoppers manage additional strains on household budgets.

The move comes in response to news inflation is currently at its highest level in almost 30 years and energy costs are predicted to increase by over 20% this year. Data and insight specialist Kantar has reported grocery prices rose 3.8% in the first four weeks of 2022*.

With offering great value on everyday products a key focus for the retailers, Musgrave says over 400 own-brand products at SuperValu and more than 300 at Centra are up to 33% cheaper than better-known brands.

Shoppers can also benefit from promotions on over 200 items at both SuperValu and Centra every week, while Fab Four deals in both stores will heavily discount four big brands every three weeks, delivering market-beating prices to shoppers.

Patricia McIlroy, SuperValu brand manager, and Jennifer Morton, Centra brand manager.

“Our stores are at the heart of the communities we serve, so we understand the pressures shoppers are facing with the increased cost of living,” said Desi Derby, marketing director for SuperValu and Centra. “Our commitment is to offer the best value in convenience, whether that’s through weekly promotions on the big brands, an extensive own brand alternative – up to 33% cheaper than the better-known brands – or market-beating prices on our Fab Four.” *Kantar Take-Home Grocery Figures

DALE FARM CALLS ON SCHOOLS INVITED TO DIG IN TO FOOD, YOUNG MINDS TO CREATE FARMING & THE ENVIRONMENT lster Farmers’ Union SUPERHERO ADVENTURE (UFU) in partnership U ale Farm is with Bank of Ireland Supercow with Cool FM’s Pete Snodden.

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calling on primary school children across Northern Ireland to create a ‘very dairy superhero adventure’ to be in with the chance of winning a class trip to Streamvale Open Farm and a school visit from Cool FM’s Pete Snodden and the Dale Farm ice cream van.

Primary schools can download and create their very own comic strip story featuring Dale Farm’s new superhero, Supercow, featuring nutritious superpowers fuelled by the dairy goodness of Dale Farm milk.

“We supply our SuperMilk to schools across Northern Ireland every day, helping bodies as they grow, play, learn and live,” said Claire Hale, Dale Farm. “Our Supercow is featured on each carton of our SuperMilk, therefore we wanted to give children the chance to bring her to life and create her first superhero adventure.

“We hope to not only get kids’ creativity flowing, but also provide teachers, parents and carers with resources through our online resource portal which will help them teach the next generation about the natural goodness of milk and the journey it goes on from farm to fridge.”

Entry closes at 5pm on Friday, April 8. For further information and to enter, visit www.dalefarmbrand.com/ supercow-competition 34

Open Farm Weekend (BOIOFW) and Asda, are challenging school pupils across Northern Ireland to Dig in! to food, farming and the Pictured at Gortin Primary School, Co environment and put Tyrone, are David Brown, UFU deputy their creative skills to president and BOIOFW chairman; Charlie the test.

Baxter, Harvey Wauchope, Lexie Armstrong UFU’s annual schools’ and David Dobos; and Joe McDonald, Asda competition is open to NI corporate affairs manager. all playgroups, nursery, primary, and special schools.

“This year’s schools competition theme, Dig in! to food, farming and the environment, provides an opportunity for teachers to start the discussion in the classroom about the importance of food and farming in NI, allowing pupils to learn more about how farmers work hard to produce the delicious, high-quality produce on our tables, and their contribution to shaping our landscape in NI, which everyone enjoys,” said David Brown, deputy president, UFU. Joe McDonald, Asda NI corporate affairs manager, said: “It is vital to create an awareness of where our produce comes from, and this competition is a great opportunity to do so educating children on the farm-to-fork story.”

Entry forms have been sent electronically to all playgroups, nursery, primary and special schools. Schools’ competition templates are available by visiting www.ufuni.org (news tab).

The closing date for entries is Friday, April 29.

EXPORT NEWS

PURE ROAST COFFEE SECURES FIRST GB SUPERMARKET DEAL WORTH £1M

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isburn-based coffee roasting, packaging and distribution specialist Pure Roast Coffee has secured its first contract with a major retailer in GB. The £1m deal will see the company supply its filter coffee, whole bean and String & Tag coffee bags to a well-known supermarket.

The company has invested almost £1m in its business, including research & development work in 2020 with the support of Invest NI to create Northern Ireland’s first string & tag coffee bag. The company has also created 10 jobs as part of the investment.

“As more people have been working from home during the pandemic, our online coffee sales have rocketed by 60%,” said Martin Symington, director of Pure Roast Coffee.

“Recognising a gap in the market, we used Invest NI’s support for R&D to develop a new String & Tag coffee bag

that meets the needs of the modern coffee consumer. The coffee bag is similar to a tea bag and is convenient to use but doesn’t compromise on high quality flavour.”

Invest NI has offered the company £209,295 towards R&D, the creation of 10 jobs and website development, along with design advice.

John Hood, Invest NI director of Food & Drink, said: “The Department for the Economy’s 10X Economic Vision identifies the development of innovative technologies within the food & drink sector as essential to driving the growth of Northern Ireland’s economy. Pure Roast Coffee is an excellent example of a local SME that has invested significantly in new product development to grow sales and build its competitive advantage.”

Invest NI has also been assisting the business with expansion of its café chain in China.

Martin Symington, director of Pure Roast Coffee, and John Hood, Invest NI director of Food & Drink.

LYONS SUPPORTS NI COMPANIES AT WORLD’S LARGEST FOOD EXPO E conomy Minister Gordon Lyons has visited Gulfood 2022 during a two-day visit to the United Arab Emirates.

During his 48-hour programme, the Minister supported Northern Ireland Day at Expo 2020, as well as hosting meetings with government officials around trade and tourism and meeting with Northern Ireland diaspora.

This is the 15th consecutive year that companies from Northern Ireland have been represented at Gulfood, the world’s largest food expo, which offers a valuable opportunity to boost exports.

Speaking from Invest Northern Ireland’s stand at the exhibition, the Minister said: “Northern Ireland’s food and drink sector is our biggest manufacturer, contributing over £5bn annually to our economy. As outlined in my Department’s 10X vision, 36

Jago Pearson, chief strategy officer, Artisan Finnebrogue; Economy Minister Gordon Lyons; and Mel Chittock, interim CEO, Invest Northern Ireland.

encouraging and supporting trade and investment is key to economic growth.”

Between October 2020 and September 2021, Northern Ireland food and drink exports to UAE totalled over £5m.

JAWBOX TRAVEL RETAIL EXCLUSIVE GAINS BELFAST CITY LISTING

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awbox Gin has secured a listing with the global travel retail company Dufry, which will see the brand’s travel retail exclusive Export Strength Gin available in the travel retailer’s World Duty Free store at Belfast City Airport.

Containing a higher ABV than other products in the range, Jawbox Export Strength is bottled at 47% ABV and is triple distilled to give the liquid a smoother profile.

The higher strength liquid is a more intense expression of Jawbox Small Batch Gin and perfect for cocktails.

The bespoke bottle has been designed to further enhance its visual impact and individuality on the travel retail shelves, with a sleek black matt finish.

The inspiration for Jawbox Export Strength comes from the city’s Victorian golden age when it was a global manufacturing powerhouse, importing and exporting goods from around the world.

“We have seen distribution for Jawbox expand across Europe and Australia, but we haven’t forgotten the importance of our local market,” said John Soden. CCO of Kirker Greer Spirits.

Aisha Dad, Dufry category manager for Liquor in the UK, said: “Listing Jawbox Export Strength Gin allows us to promote an award-winning local product, which is always of interest to our passengers.

“The bottle has great on-shelf presence and the fact that it’s a unique and exclusive line is an added bonus.

We look forward to offering it to our customers from April.”

BUSINESS NEWS

S&W INVESTING £15M IN NEW NEWRY HQ & DISTRIBUTION HUB

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&W Wholesale is delivering on its pledge to offer shoppers and its retail partners A Whole Lot More, announcing a £15m investment in a new HQ and distribution hub near Newry.

The new 20-acre site, on Chancellors Road just off the A1 arterial route from Newry to Dublin, is ideally situated for servicing retail and wholesale customers throughout the island of Ireland.

It will house ambient, chilled, fresh and frozen products in one 180,000-square-foot facility alongside head office space, vehicle management and recycling areas.

Work is commencing on the first

phase of the upgrade, which will replace S&W’s current 100,000-squarefoot facility in Carnbane, in operation since 2010.

Almost doubling the wholesaler’s storage capacity, S&W said the investment will facilitate its continued vision for growth, improve its efficiencies and boost investment in both the business and local area.

“Over the past number of years, we have experienced sustained growth and this investment into the new multipurpose site is aimed at facilitating this growth further and to provide our employees with a better working environment, as well as providing a

NEW OWNERS COMMITTED TO ETHICAL ETHOS OF WATER BRAND

Ross LazarooHood and Sitki Gelmen, new owners of Clearer Water.

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agheramorne-based ethical water brand Clearer Water has been acquired by The Soilèir Group from the AEL Charity for an undisclosed sum.

Clearer Water is situated on the

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POS software provider Henderson Technology has launched a new tool for quick remote store analysis, EDGEPoS Analytics.

Now available to all EDGEPoS retail customers across the UK, EDGEPoS Analytics provides an overview of data from inside a store, accessible from anywhere remote through any modern browser on a desktop or smart device.

EDGEPoS Analytics takes the data from the EDGEPoS back office once a day and holds up to two years of historical data for evaluation and comparison.

When the user logs in, they are presented with dashboard data which includes sales, margin, average

shores of Larne Lough and known for its premium, ethical bottled water. The naturally stone-filtered alkaline spring water is taken from a deep aquifer at Maghermorne, offering a pH of 7.8 and rich in essential minerals.

The business began as a social enterprise company, championing a mixed ability workforce, and providing training and employment opportunities for socially disadvantaged young people in Northern Ireland.

Its bottled water is supplied across Northern Ireland, with a small footprint in England.

more efficient way of working across the entire business,” said Michael Skelton, MD, S&W Wholesale.

“The site will become more ecofriendly focused with the introduction of solar panels, electric car charging points and methods of reducing waste, reducing S&W’s carbon footprint for the future.”

New owners Ross Lazaroo-Hood and Sitki Gelmen are founders of Landmark Holding Group, an insurance group, with Lazaroo-Hood hailing from Larne.

Soiléir has announced its intention to maintain the ethos and integrity of the Clearer Water brand, which will operate as a separate entity, retaining all existing staff while developing plans to create further employment opportunities and expand product lines.

A statement by Lazaroo-Hood and Gelmen, joint owners of Clearer Water and co-chairmen of The Soilèir Group, reads: ‘We will be setting out a wide range of expansion plans, building the company over the short to long term future that will see growth for the brand and bringing more mixed ability career opportunities.’

EDGEPOS ANALYTICS TO IMPROVE RETAILER ACCESS TO TIMELY INFORMATION spend, basket-size, transactions, YOY comparative sales, top departments, top 10 lines, and operator stats; all shown in an easy to read, graphical format.

A reporting facility is also available on EDGEPoS Analytics, where store and site owners can generate, email and schedule reports automatically from the Analytics dashboard.

“We understand retail and how owners and managers are not always instore to get the data they need,” said Darren Nickels, retail technology operations director at Henderson Technology.

“We have partnered with Limitless Insights to develop a cloud-based platform, connecting the customer to transactional data from the EDGEPoS back or head office.”

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APPOINTMENTS

THE NFRN APPOINTS NEW CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Stuart Hale, chief operating officer, NFRN.

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tuart Hale has taken over the reins as chief operating officer at The Fed, based at the organisation’s head office at Bede House, Durham.

He brings to the role a wealth of experience in senior management roles in retail and manufacturing, including 18 years with electrical retailer Dixon’s, working his way up to programme manager in HR. His career then took him to Porsche, as head of business, and Jaguar Land Rover, where he was global development manager with working experience overseas. His most recent role was as a strategy director for Hero Wellbeing Solutions.

“You could say retail is in my blood,”

said Hale. “I started out stacking shelves aged 16 at the Co-op in Headingley. I then worked in shoe shops and clothes shops before joining Dixon’s.

“I think there’s a huge challenge in terms of giving members value for money and for them to understand the value of their membership, but it’s a challenge I am looking forward to.

“The Fed hasn’t had a COO for a while, so it’s nice for the team to have someone in place and to know that we are all working together as a team, adding value to the business, and that their value is recognised.

“The Fed is an unusual set up which I know will stretch me because of its different dynamic. I need to be the conduit between the members and the business, and I have to have a foot in each camp.”

Narinder Randhawa, national president, The Fed, said: “Stuart has all the experience and knowledge required to take us forward and put the organisation on an even stronger footing.

“I know he has some great ideas and plans to help us improve the service we provide to thousands of independent retailers across the UK and Ireland, and I wish him all the best in his new role.”

RE-GEN WASTE APPOINTS CELINE GRANT AS COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

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eline Grant has been appointed commercial director at Re-Gen Waste, and will be responsible for the company’s Public Sector, Commercial, Engineering and R&D Divisions.

She joined Re-Gen Waste in May 2004, holds a BA in Business Studies from Ulster University, and held the post of product sales director until appointed to her new role.

Grant is a board member of the Recycling Association and a member of the Institute of Directors. She won the Women in Business NI Award for Best Exporter in 2011 and 2017 and has been shortlisted in the Outstanding Mentor Award category in 2022.

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Celine Grant

CHILD-FRIENDLY CLEANING BRAND WELCOMES DEAN BROWN AS CHAIRMAN

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thical cleaning solutions business Nimble has Dean appointed Brown, CEO of chairman, Nimble.

Little Dish, Dean Brown, as its new chairman.

Following a distinguished career in grocery retail, from Tesco and Waitrose to the success he has experienced scaling and exiting Little Dish, Brown is expected to bring unrivalled knowledge and experience to the business.

“To have found a chairman who truly understands FMCG and retail, as well as the nursery sector, who can help me grow and scale Nimble, is of major significance to the business,” said Von Sy, chemist and founder of Nimble.

“Dean has already supported me so much, connecting us to industry experts, advising me on tricky business challenges, helping me build a bigger operations team and guiding me through a successful launch into Tesco last year.”

The strategic appointment follows the recent announcement that Justin King CBE, former CEO of Sainsbury’s, has joined Nimble as an advisor and mentor.

Nimble completed a successful crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube last month, which it will use to scale up the business and invest in further product development, supporting ambitious growth plans both online and in retail.

Brown said: “When first speaking with Von about Nimble and the success and rapid growth of the business, I knew it was a company I would be delighted to work with.

I’m looking forward to working together with the team and supporting the ongoing growth of the business.”

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ith rising energy, commodities and fuel costs, we are in the midst of some of the most turbulent times the world has experienced in generations. Few of us are immune to these pressures with price rises impacting consumers and business owners alike.

At AbbeyAutoline, we have a team of commercial insurance experts who are dedicated to reviewing your policies to ensure you have the type of cover in place most suited to the needs of your business.

With so much for business owners to worry about already, an insurance broker who knows you and your business, can take away the hassle of selecting the most suitable policy, leaving you with the peace of mind knowing you are protected.

Business insurance protects your business from an array of risks such as: loss, theft and damage to equipment, property damage, business interruption, employee sickness or injury in the

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Shop and Office Insurance can include public and products liability, employer’s liability, accidental damage, theft of money, fire, flood, storm and accidental damage to your buildings, contents, stock and business equipment. It also includes cover for shop frontage, glass & signage, goods in transit and business interruption.

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With a large number of businesses conducting online transactions and a surge in the number of internet scams, cyber insurance can provide cover against imitation fraud, phishing, ransomware and extortion.

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At AbbeyAutoline our team of dedicated insurance experts are ready to help. To find out how we can assist your business visit www.abbeyautoline. co.uk or call 08000 66 55 44.

DRINKS NEWS

COCKTAIL KEG CREATING NINE JOBS AFTER SECURING £500K DEAL WITH MUSGRAVE

Anthony Farrell, director, Cocktail Keg, and Shauna Topping, assistant centre manager, Innovation Factory.

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n award-winning Northern Ireland cocktail company has signed a major deal worth more than £500,000 with Musgrave Northern Ireland, creating nine new jobs.

Cocktail Keg Company, located at Innovation Factory in Belfast, signed a new distribution partnership with the food and drink wholesaler, which operates the retail brands SuperValu, Centra, Mace and Musgrave MarketPlace, as well as drinks company Drinks Inc. Paul Burns, who owns the company with fellow mixologist Anthony Farrell, said the deal should increase the number of retail outlets it supplies with its premium pre-mixed cocktails to 100 by the end of March.

“We are very excited to be in

partnership with Musgrave, which will substantially increase our off-trade business,” he said. “Musgrave is Ireland’s leading food retail, wholesale and food service company, and this partnership demonstrates how our business is going from strength to strength.”

Julie Cherry, trading director, Musgrave NI, said: “Musgrave spends £160m on local food and drink each year and works in partnership with 150 local suppliers. This latest partnership is a further example of our commitment to supporting local and we are looking forward to offering this premium brand to our customers.”

Cocktail Keg Company changed its business model during lockdown after a tough two years when it was forced to undergo major restructuring when sales to the hospitality industry collapsed during Covid-19.

Sales to supermarkets, off licences and online home delivery took off quickly and they were crowned regional Best New Regional Start Up at the Intertrade Ireland’s Seedcorn Awards last November.

The company has moved its sales and development staff team to the Innovation Factory on the Springfield Road while retaining production at Bankmore Square.

NEW SUSTAINABLE CIDER BRAND AIMS TO SHAKE UP THE CATEGORY

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as environmentally friendly as n innovative and sustainable possible. new brand, Inch’s Cider, Inch’s Cider is also vegan has been launched in friendly, free from gluten, Northern Ireland this month artificial colours and by the UK’s leading cider sweeteners, and lays claim to producer, Heineken. exceptional taste credentials, Distributed by United with research suggesting four Wines, the new brand offers out of five 18-34-year-olds prefer a fresher, greener and juicier David Greenlees of its taste to that of the nearest cider, designed to recruit Craigavon-based competitor**, even though it younger consumers into the drinks distributor contains less sugar and fewer category.

United Wines. calories*.

Waste from apples used to “We’re delighted to introduce Inch’s create the golden cider is repurposed Cider to Northern Ireland as a progressive after use and turned into green energy and tasty new refreshment, whilst on a to ensure the cider-making process is 40

COMMUNITY BREWERY TO LAUNCH NI’S FIRST TAPROOM

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n independent brewery has announced plans to open Northern Ireland’s first taproom at its brewery in East Belfast through a Community Share Raise.

Boundary Brewing, a cooperative brewery with more than 1,500 members, plans to open the Taproom later this year and is launching a new Community Share Raise to secure £150,000 to help with the fitout costs at the new premises on the Newtownards Road in Belfast.

Located at the brewery, the Taproom will be a community hub, providing a meeting place for sports clubs, running clubs, book groups, community organisations and more.

The Taproom will offer the freshest and cheapest Boundary beer available anywhere, alongside beer from other world class breweries, a wine list and a carefully curated selection of local spirits.

Drinks can be enjoyed at the Taproom and will be available to take away. The Taproom will also have a partnership with Flout Pizza, offering visitors food options to enjoy at the brewery.

mission to do the right thing in terms of sustainability,” said David Greenlees, brand manager for Craigavon-based United Wines, which handles all Heineken sales, marketing and distribution in Northern Ireland.

“When the apples are done making golden cider, they are used to make green energy. Once all the juice has been extracted, the leftover apple pulp is converted into biofuel, to be used again.”

Inch’s is available in 4-packs of 440ml in off-licences across Northern Ireland from March. *Kantar Alcovision, Total Market Demog % of Total Demog 52w/e to 09/08/20 **Versus a leading competitor, Cardinal Monadic liquid test (120 18–34-year-old L4W LADs drinkers) – September 2020

ADVERTORIAL

Brands delivering on NPD, quality & brand assurance will boost profits for retailers COMPANY : REPUBLIC TECHNOLOGIES (UK) LTD

Alasdair Blair, business unit controller at Republic Technologies UK.

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he tobacco accessories market continues to drive strong performance for retailers in Northern Ireland, led by an increase in innovative new product development (NPD).

Roll-your-own (RYO) specialist, Republic Technologies (UK) Ltd, is a driving force in the category, with an accelerated NPD programme that also includes innovative display solutions.

“More shoppers are buying into RYO for a variety of reasons. Value for money remains key, but so too does the tactile aspect of rolling, which also has the added benefit of reducing consumption, as smoking becomes less instant,” says Alasdair Blair, business unit controller at Republic Technologies UK. As factory-made cigarette sales continue to decline, consumers are actively seeking alternatives and looking to the latest developments in the RYO market.

“Following the change in legislation, there has been a considerable rise in the number of consumers in Northern Ireland making a conscious decision to find competitively-priced flavour alternatives to menthol cigarettes,” adds Alasdair.

“Swan Fresh Burst Crushball has already grown to be the best performing menthol capsule filter in the UK market*1. Along with three other 42

menthol SKUs from Swan – Cool Burst Crushball and Cool Menthol Extra Slim and Menthol Extra Slim filters – we are continuing to help retailers drive sales.

“Environmental considerations continue to influence convenience store shoppers.

With growing demand for more natural products and reduced packaging, Republic Technologies is also increasing its focus on sustainably sourced products.

“This has led to a surge in demand for category-boosting products such as OCB Virgin Slim and OCB Virgin Slim & Tips, unbleached papers made using OCB natural gum, which is sustainably sourced from African Acacia trees.

“Display in this category is key for sales uplift. We have been encouraging retailers to stock the latest NPD and make use of effective display solutions that see accessories moving out of the gantry,

signposting the wider tobacco category and highlighting NPD in a meaningful way.”

Republic Technologies launched an OCB counter display unit last year which contains 10 booklets of each of the three OCB Slim & Tips products: OCB Virgin, OCB Premium and OCB Organic Hemp.

Countertop display units are a great way to increase visibility for bestselling products.

The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns brought more shoppers than ever to local convenience stores, as people chose to stay local and minimise supermarket visits. This gave retailers an even bigger opportunity to drive visibility of margin-boosting tobacco accessories products.

“Our iconic brands – including Swan, Zig-Zag and OCB – have considerable history in the market and are synonymous with quality and value for money. This, combined with our team’s valuable expertise in the category, means that we are well placed to add real value to convenience retailers.

“Within the Northern Ireland RYO category, the right product range and display is key for driving sales. Increasing awareness and signposting the wider category, by stocking innovative NPD and products that deliver on quality, brand assurance and strong margin, will continue to boost profits for retailers,” concludes Alasdair.

Source: *1: EXT IRI Marketplace 52 w/e 05/09/21- Supermarkets, High St & Conv S’mkts

ADVERTORIAL

Convenience retailers in a strong

position to benefit from increased shop visits and basket spend COMPANY : IMPERIAL TOBACCO

BY DUNCAN CUNNINGHAM, UK CORPORATE AFFAIRS DIRECTOR AT IMPERIAL TOBACCO & BLU

TOBACCO MARKET OVERVIEW Within the tobacco market, which is currently worth £14bn (before tax) per year, there is almost a 50/50 market share split across Factory Made Cigarettes (FMC) and Roll Your Own (RYO) categories – at 53% and 47% respectively(i).

Overall, we’re seeing continued movement towards low priced propositions across the entire category as consumer demand for value continues to drive tobacco purchasing patterns. As part of this shift, the lower price tiers now account for the majority of sales, with the sub-economy segment making up 63% share of FMC, and the economy segment accounting for 51% of RYO, with both value segments growing at 4% YOY(i).

This transition towards lower priced tobacco offerings is a key trend that retailers should be prepared to cater for given the value of tobacco shoppers in terms of the wider sales they generate in store. Tobacco shoppers have an average basket spend worth £19.60 vs. non-tobacco at £11.40, and they also visit more frequently, averaging 2.9 visits a week in comparison to 2.5 for other shoppers(ii).

Convenience retailers are in a strong position to benefit from these increased visits and basket spend in the years to come, with figures forecasting almost 13% growth in convenience over the next five years(iii). In order to effectively harness the sales opportunities this presents, retailers must be equipped with the right products and importantly, the right knowledge, to help their customers navigate the tobacco category.

TRENDS & DATA Looking at the RYO category in particular, we can see that the consumer drive for value remains a big factor, with the 44

economy segment accounting for 51% of sales, and mid-price and premium products comprising 35% and 14% share respectively(i). Imperial is well placed to help retailers tap into this trend with more brands in the economy RYO segment than any other tobacco manufacturer.

Our new JPS Players Easy Rolling Tobacco is a great example of what retailers should be stocking to cater for these increasingly value savvy shoppers.

JPS Players Easy Rolling Tobacco is an exciting new blend of fine cut tobacco that offers an easier rolling experience and benefits from the brand recognition of one of the UK’s best-selling cigarette brands(iv). JPS Players Easy Rolling Tobacco features a more vibrant colour and lower levels of moisture, making the blend easier to handle and to roll. The range is available to buy in 30g and 50g and priced at £13.65* and £22.35*, and each pouch includes a set of quality rolling papers.

Another RYO brand that is a muststock for any retailers tapping into the value trend is Riverstone. The range was recently repositioned to sit within the rising economy RYO segment alongside JPS Players, with its 30g and 50g pouches also priced at £13.65* and £22.35* and including both papers and filters for the ultimate in convenience.

As more value-conscious consumers shift towards RYO products, this presents new sales opportunities for tobaccorelated accessories. In order to tap into this trend and take advantage of the incremental sales on offer, retailers

should make sure they’re fully stocked at all times of filters, papers, lighters and other flavour-related innovations like Rizla Flavour Cards and Rizla Polar Blast Crushball filters, to cater for the rising number of consumers buying into the RYO segment.

From an FMC perspective, as demand for value tobacco continues to grow, many consumers are looking for a familiar brand that they know will deliver satisfaction at a low price. With this in mind, we recently unveiled a new look for our best-known brand(v), Richmond.

As part of the revamp, Richmond now features a bold new look with prominent outer branding to deliver a coherent design across the range. The entire Richmond portfolio is positioned within the new Value tier and is available to buy in packs of 20 at an MRRP of just £10.15* per pack to deliver great value to hard working shoppers looking for a wellknown brand at the lowest price*.

CATEGORY ADVICE To truly take advantage of the sales on offer within the tobacco category, we strongly recommend retailers take it back to basics and focus on getting the fundamental elements of effective retailing right.

This includes making sure their product range links into the key trends at play, such as the rising demand for value, and meets the needs of their customer base. No two stores are the same so it’s important to take time to consider what

ADVERTORIAL customers are buying most frequently, or not buying at all, and then adapting the range accordingly.

Applying this best practice to tobacco accessories is also key. For example, if a store has a really strong RYO customer base, they may want to consider offering a bigger range of filters, papers, flavour cards and lighters. While, if they have more cigarette shoppers than RYO, they may want to offer a smaller range and focus this mostly on lighters and flavour cards.

Also, ensuring they maintain stock levels at all times is essential within tobacco. Many smokers are brand loyal so running out of their product of choice can be a costly error to make. Ensuring both the store and their staff know to keep an eye on stock, both in store and in the stock room, is really key to avoiding this situation.

VAPING MARKET OVERVIEW The vape category has grown to be worth around £1.2bn(vi) in the UK, with roughly 38% of vaping volume sales taking place in the convenience channel(vii). As demand for vaping products continues to grow, dedicating ample space to vaping products in store should be an important area of focus for any retailer.

Figures show that pod systems and cartridges have seen the most year-onyear growth across all channels and within convenience specifically, closed devices, such as myblu, are the most popular, accounting for 7.9% of volume share, vs. 4.9% for open devices(vii).

One of the main factors driving the popularity of pod-mod systems like myblu is their ease of use, with the device’s hassle free Liquidpods allowing vapers to switch between flavours in seconds via a simple one-step ‘click and go’ system. With this in mind, we’d strongly recommend including a leading pod-mod system such as myblu within the range to tap into this trend.

CATEGORY ADVICE As an incredibly fast-moving category, it’s important for retailers to keep one eye on the emerging trends in next generation nicotine products and be prepared to adapt their range to incorporate any new products they think would work for their customer base. Making room for a small sample of new products on a regular basis enables retailers to trial the products and assess shopper interest in them prior to investing heavily or making them a permanent part of their range.

Given the varied experience of shoppers in the vape category, it is also important for retailers to be equipped to offer advice that can be tailored to each customer. The retailers who can do so will be the ones that see the most success and truly establish themselves as a destination store for vapers.

There are various ways to train staff but one particularly effective way of improving staff knowledge on vaping products is through running product demonstrations using samples of the devices being sold in store. Allowing staff to handle the products themselves and get to know the different components using demonstration models, or sample liquids, will really help them understand more about how they work, so they can pass this information onto customers. Using similar demonstration models can also be a great way to educate customers on the devices before they buy so they leave the store fully informed on how to use a product.

Our Ignite app is another great resource and allows retailers to keep up to date with the latest news, information and training opportunities to help them perform at maximum efficiency.

It includes a wide range of tools and advice, including incentive articles, downloadable POS, product information and top tips on how to increase sales in store.

myblu range now features new blister pod packs with a perforated edge to deliver an intuitive unboxing experience for consumers. The new developments will also bring improvements from a stability perspective with the blister packs offering better pod protection, nicotine preservation and portability.

In addition to the new blister pods, the packaging design has also been updated to include an improved vignette on the logo triangle to deliver a consistent look across the range, while also making it easier to navigate between the myblu Intense and Regular ranges. This includes improved readability of flavour and strength messaging, as well as more aesthetic pod visuals on pack.

The myblu device combines the performance demanded by experienced vapers with the ease-of-use appreciated by new entrants to the category. The device’s hassle free Liquidpods allow vapers to switch between flavours in seconds via a simple one-step ‘click and go’ system. The myblu Intense starter kit contains a device, liquid and charger, and has an RRP of £19.99*. For more information on the myblu range and a list of pod flavours, visit www.blu.com.

Since its launch, myblu has grown to become the preferred pod-mod system for many consumers. These latest packaging enhancements will help to ensure we continue to offer the best consumer experience possible. With the new blister packs offering the utmost convenience, as well as a new consistent look and feel across the range, we’re confident myblu will remain the pod-mod device of choice for consumers looking for a top quality, easy-to-use vaping solution. *Based on ITUK RRP as at March 2022.

For the avoidance of doubt, customers are free at all times to determine the selling price of their products.

ITUK EPOS to w/e 29/08/21, P1 Retail & Wholesale (ii) Lumina Intelligence Convenience Dashboard. Smokers are those who purchased tobacco or tobacco alternatives. 8 weeks to 02/05/21 (iii) IGD Article 1st July 2021. https://www.igd. com/articles/article-viewer/t/uk-retail-foodand-grocery-market-growth-to-slow-sharplyin-the-short-term-according-to-latestigd-market-forecasts/i/28369 (iv) ITUK Report on Trade, February 2021 (v) Based on ITUK Estimates as at January 2022 (vi) ITUK Estimates June 2021 (vii) ITUK EPOS, 52 weeks data to w/e 26/09/21.

Share calculated using P1 Accounts only.

Volume ERP (i)

NEW PRODUCT LAUNCHES IMPERIAL ANNOUNCES MYBLU ENHANCED PACKAGING We have just announced the launch of new, enhanced packaging for our innovative pod-mod vape system, myblu, that is rolling out into stores now to increase its appeal to shoppers even further.

As part of the packaging upgrade, the

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SHELFLIFE To see your product featured in Shelf Life, contact Judith Martin at j.martin@mediahuis.co.uk or Tel: 07765 183176

OLDEST DOG IN IRELAND WISHES BRANDY A HAPPY 50TH BIRTHDAY

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housands of dogs across Ireland north and south are wishing Co Armagh’s own Brandy dog food a happy 50th birthday this year and none more so than Skippy who, at 26 years old, is possibly the oldest dog in Ireland.

To start the celebrations, Brandy has made Skippy - who has religiously eaten two cans of Brandy Pet Food every day since he was a pup - its honorary brand ambassador and is presenting him with a lifetime supply of his favourite nosh. As well as that, Skippy is going to be featuring on limited edition cans of the Brandy dog food and on shelves throughout Ireland, later this year.

Pat Geraghty has owned the Border Collie Skippy for nearly three decades and, when his wife Mary passed away five years ago, he has remained Pat’s constant companion. Pat says Skippy has always been his best friend and says he deserves all the attention he is receiving from Brandy.

Gerry Concannon, territory sales manager for Mackle Petfoods, met up with Pat and Skippy and presented them with a special Brandy birthday hamper. He said: “We are delighted to celebrate his long life in conjunction with our own and we’d like to share that with every dog owner in Ireland as we celebrate 50 years of making pets happy with the roll out our birthday celebrations.”

Like Pat, loving dog owners all over the country can win the chance to see their pet pooch’s name on special Brandy tins as part of the birthday celebrations, as well as the chance to win hundreds of baby Brandy toys and a luxury dog friendly break for the whole family in Ireland.

For a chance to win, just visit www.brandydogfood.com to enter.

VOLVIC REVITALISES TOUCH OF FRUIT RANGE WITH NEW FLAVOUR

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olvic has revitalised its Volvic Touch of Fruit sugar free range with a new Peach & Raspberry flavour, with added vitamin B6 for vitality*.

Volvic focuses on a strategy of continuous flavour innovation, to entice new shoppers into the flavoured water category.

The announcement follows the relaunch of Touch of Fruit’s branding in Summer 2021, with the new

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packaging offering a more eyecatching look alongside its Beyond Your Expectations summer campaign highlighting modernity and bold taste.

Volvic Touch of Fruit Sugar Free has grown in value sales by +36%** over 2021, appealing to consumers who wish to stay hydrated without compromising on great taste. Peach & Raspberry flavoured drinks grew by 17%** within the soft drinks category over 2021.

The new flavour is available in a 1.5L bottle, exclusively available in Asda until March, and then rolled out to other large supermarkets and impulse channels. The launch will be supported with online and in-store activity, alongside influencer and buzzy PR moments. *IRI All Outlets exc BP MAT Value Sales Data W/E 22nd January 2022. **Vitamin B6 Contributes to the reduction of Tiredness & Fatigue.

Gerry Concannon (right), territory sales manager for Mackle Petfoods presenting Pat Geraghty with a special 50th birthday Brandy dog food hamper for his dog Skippy, who at 26 years old is possibly Ireland’s oldest dog.

MÜLLER LAUNCHES FIRST AUSTRALIAN INSPIRED YOGURT

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üller Yogurt & Desserts is targeting shoppers looking for a sense of adventure and escapism, with its latest Australian inspired yogurt launch.

The dairy company has identified a gap in the category for an exotic flavoured yogurt with a smooth texture.

Müller Corner Creations G’Dairy is a creamy yogurt, with a 3-in-1 smooth fruit blend in the corner – a mixture of mango, passionfruit and coconut.

The launch is part of the dairy company’s strategy to focus on its core range of branded yogurt by prioritising and producing quality products that consumers will love and investing in them to target category growth.

Müller Corner Creations G’Dairy is a source of protein, made with real fruit and contains no artificial preservatives, sweeteners or colours.

The product is made in Shropshire, with milk from British farms.

It is available in six packs in Asda now, with Morrisons and Sainsbury’s to follow, with an RRP of £3, and its launch supported by social media and PR.

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CONTACT JUDITH MARTIN ON 07765 183176 OR EMAIL:

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CLASSIFIEDS

WANT YOUR COMPANY TO GET NOTICED? ADVERTISE HERE...

CONTACT JUDITH MARTIN ON 07765 183176 OR EMAIL:

j.martin@mediahuis.co.uk

GROCER ULSTER

50 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

CLASSIFIEDS

Q&A

IN THE

Hot Seat

NAME: JONATHAN CUDDY ROLE: FOUNDER COMPANY: ISPINI CHARCUTERIE It’s not a process which can be rushed, or extra product becomes suddenly available.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED? ‘Remember why you started the business’ – especially in a tough week, it’s nice to remember the dream of creating a quality piece of food and helps to refocus your efforts.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST GRIPE? I always complain about hand tying salamis but at the same time enjoy their artisan look.

WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE? Some DIY skills or the ability to multitask.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF I’m the founder of Ispini Charcuterie.

Married to Sarah and daddy to Eryn, Will and Hope.

overwhelming experience for Janice, Sarah and myself. It validated what Ispini was trying to achieve and put us on the ‘map’.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE? I am typically in charge of production of our charcuterie products. This involves curing, mincing, fermenting and drying the pork and beef into the different salamis and whole muscle products we produce. My sister Janice controls when the charcuterie is ready to harvest and getting the products ready for despatch. I also help with our charcuterie and cheese shop in Moira, under the care of my wife Sarah. In amongst production and the shop, I also work part time in agri sales.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? I always enjoy watching customers’ reactions, especially when they taste our products for the first time. It’s such a nice feeling to watch someone enjoy our charcuterie after the huge amount of time taken to produce it.

I am also a bit of a geek about fermentation – I love experimenting with different starter cultures and moulds to create new flavours.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? It has to be winning the Great Taste Golden Fork for Best Charcuterie Product.

Ispini was in its infancy and to win such an important award was very much an 50

WHAT IS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT TASK? As charcuterie is such a slow product to produce, the most difficult task has always been trying to forecast production up to a year in advance. Some pieces such as bresaola require two months curing and up six months drying time.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS/ AMBITIONS? To keep growing the business throughout Ireland and keep creating pieces of charcuterie that reflect our own food heritage – I love digging through old newspapers, finding old recipes and trying to create something modern from them.

WHOM DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? My kids.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? Probably the North Coast here in Northern Ireland, otherwise I would love to be driving a combine harvester again in the Canadian prairies.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD PRODUCT? Anything with chocolate!

HOW DO YOU RELAX? Target shooting, xbox or watching a movie with my wife and kids.