Smart Business Ideas Flourishing On Local Farms

Farms here rarely receive the recognition they deserve for their longstanding commitment to smart ideas for industries ranging from food processing to engineering, recycling and hospitality. Sam Butler looks at three recent farm-based innovations in food.

Dean Wright of Ballylisk Cheese

Ballylisk Dairy in Portadown recently secured its first business outside Northern Ireland for its unique and highly rated Triple Rose cheese, a soft Brie.

The farm-based dairy business, which is run by farming brothers Dean and Mark Wright in Co Armagh, has begun supplying its triple cream cheese to Heritage Cheese In London’s iconic Borough Market, which the Northern Ireland company sees as a significant breakthrough in Britain, a target market.

In addition, Ballylisk, which sources fresh milk from its own grass-fed herd, has won business in Portugal from a top hotel group and has a serious inquiry from a high-profile business in Switzerland. Selling its Brie style cheese to the Swiss would be quite an achievement for the recently launched business.

Ballylisk has won widespread acclaim, including from top food critics, for its cheese and is helping to raise the profile of Northern Ireland in the creation of innovative cheeses.

Ballylisk’s Dean Wright says the company is delighted to have won business abroad just a few months after the launch of the new cheese. “It’s a tremendous development for us and a great endorsement of the outstanding taste and premium quality of our cheese,” he adds.

“We met Heritage Cheese during a Food NI food and drink promotion over St Patrick’s week at the market. They loved the cheese and kept in contact with us. We’ve now supplied Heritage with a significant quantity of our cheese.

“Feedback from Enrico Messora and his team at Heritage has been extremely positive and encouraging. And we appreciate the support from such a respected and discerning cheese retailer.”

Uniquely, Ballylisk only processes milk produced on the family dairy farm from its award-winning herd. Ballylisk has total control over its entire operation, from ‘farm to fork’.

Triple Rose is the company’s first, bespoke offering and is a triple cream cheese. This rich, decadent cheese is made from pasteurised cow’s milk with added cream. It has a white mould with its full-flavour balanced by salty, lemony notes.

Further cheeses are in development. These include a semi-soft blue and a high end Brie.

Planting for a healthier future

William and Leanne Donnan of Flavour First have turned their family farm, near Donaghadee in Co Down, into a leading producer of an innovative range of ready to cook meal boxes using vegetables they grow.

The new meal kits draw on the company’s successful experience in developing popular vegetable boxes with fresh, seasonal ingredients from the 16-acre farm. They founded Flavour First in 2007 to develop delivered fresh to the door veggie boxes.

The enterprising couple now grow a wide range of seasonal vegetables on the 16-acre farm. They also produce seasonal fruits, especially strawberries, and provide free-range eggs from their own hens.

“What the new ready to cook range does is to add further value to our successful veggie boxes delivered to customers in the greater Belfast area as well as to many parts of county Down,” says Leanne. “The new boxes contain the fresh ingredients required to prepare tasty, home-cooked vegetarian meals,” she adds. The ready to cook meal kits use ingredients from the family’s farm and are: Rainbow Chilli with Rice, North Indian Vegetable Curry, Vegetable Paella, One Pot Italian Pasta, and Asian Style Cauliflower Rice.

The new meal kits are all hand assembled and packed fresh to order on the farm along with the veggie boxes. Each pack includes a recipe card on how best to cook the dish. They are then delivered to order.

“The new range blends fresh vegetables with the sort of global flavours that people have experienced in restaurants here and on their holidays,” she continues They are also in tune with the developing trend towards plant-based and flexitarian dishes,” Leanne says.

While the meals, created with the help of experienced nutritionist and educator Kim Close, are suitable for vegetarians, meat can be added if desired.

“The meals are bursting with freshness, wholesomeness and outstanding taste,” Leanne adds.

Leanne and William Donnan of Flavour First with two of the ready to eat meal kits they have developed

In addition to the fresh ingredients, the couple has focused on sustainability by using packaging that is either biodegradable or can be easily recycled.

“Living and working on a family farm means sustainability is in our DNA. We are committed to eliminating waste and preserving the environment now and in the future,” she continues.

Smokin’ hot innovation from Armagh farm business

An initial three-strong range of premium smoked meats has been developed for retail by a leading artisan smokehouse run by farmers Frank Foster and Martin Rafferty in Armagh.

The sliced meats have been produced by Meadow Farm Quality Foods under the new Orchard Smokehouse brand and feature premium chicken, gammon and duck. All the products are naturally smoked using traditional artisan techniques over beech and oak chips.

Meadow Farm is a successful supplier of a very broad range of quality smoked meats for foodservice, especially highend restaurants and hotels, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The Meadow Farm and the new Orchard Smokehouse smoked meats are all free from gluten, dairy and wheat and ready to eat, hot or cold.

The quality conscious Meadow Farm business, established in 2009 by Martin Rafferty, now has two separate smokers and a modern processing unit. It currently employs five people.

“The decision to develop the new retail range is the result of the outstanding success of our foodservice smoked products and approaches from customers who have enjoyed them in hotels and restaurants,” says Frank, who has vast experience in food production, especially of beef and with leading meat processors, the business director of Meadow Farm and Orchard Smokehouse.

Frank Foster of Orchard Smokehouse in Armagh

The new products are the outcome of extensive market research to pinpoint opportunities in the UK and Ireland.

Martin, a cattle farmer, butcher and the main smoker, runs a 60 acre cattle farm. Frank also runs his own cattle farm on 50 acres near Loughgall.

"The new Orchard Smokehouse brand has just been launched and has already won business in Northern Ireland and in Dublin with specialist retailers especially top deli, a target market for our products", Frank adds.