THE COOKSTOWN SIZZLE REMAINS AS IRRESISTIBLE AS EVER!

from Grocery & Retail Ireland Magazine, Winter 2022

A FAMILY TRADITION

For eighty-five years and counting, Cookstown – home of the famous ‘Cookstown sizzle’ - has been one of the island’s premier pork processors, producing a market-leading range of sumptuous products, which today are as popular as ever they’ve been with consumers the length and breadth of Ireland.

It was in the late 1960s, due to an iconic black-and-white TV advertising campaign fronted by legendary Manchester United and Northern Ireland soccer star George Best, who famously declared that “what the man means is Cookstown are the best family sausages”, that Cookstown became a household name in Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Once customers got on the scent of the Cookstown sizzle and discovered the veracity of the brand’s memorable promotional campaigns, there was no looking back. Cookstown’s sausages and other tasty pork products have stood the test of time and are a staple in many kitchens island-wide today.

Extensively available through a string of multiples including Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Iceland and Dunnes Stores as well as smaller supermarket chains and independent retailers, Cookstown’s ever-improving and -expanding range of delicious pork products continues to set the standards or taste, quality and traceability some eight-and-a-half decades after the company’s inception in the County Tyrone town they helped put on the map.

Cookstown is one of Ireland’s leading pork producers, and has been since 1937. Their famous Cookstown Sizzle® sausages have been part of many families’ daily meals for generations. Their heritage of quality and assurance has earned Cookstown – now part of Karro Food Group - the respect, trust and loyalty of customers near and far.

While Cookstown will of course always be synonymous with their famous sizzling sausages (the recipe has recently been tweaked to make it even better!), they also produce a comprehensive selection of tasty sliced ham (crumbed, baked or wafer thin), succulent joints, crispy bacon and juicy gammon steaks as well as a mouth-watering and super convenient ready-to-cook range, a savoury range and party packs.

Meanwhile, their delicious new pies come in two flavours - mince & onion and chicken & ham, both now available in most major supermarkets - while a range of divine sausage rolls is also available.

For something completely different, why not try Cookstown’s pork loin steak, pork ribs, pulled pork in a delicious smoky barbecue sauce or diced bacon lardons, ideal for an awesome omelette? The product offerings keep growing and each one is imbued with the proven Cookstown seal of quality, guaranteed to bring joy to the taste buds at any meal time.

The home of the sizzle and the best family sausages, Cookstown pride themselves on producing only quality local pork, with all pigs farmed locally in Ireland. In many cases, they have worked with local farmers for up to three generations. The Karro processing facility at Cookstown is Ireland’s largest pig factory, processing in excess of one million pigs per year, under the guidance of Michael Munnelly, Managing Director at Karro Foods - Cookstown NI.

All Cookstown’s products pass the Red Tractor quality assured food standards. They are proud of their pork and work hard to maintain quality right across the island of Ireland. To do this, they work closely with the Ulster Pork and Bacon Forum and Bord Bia to ensure that every product has been independently checked from farm to fork.

The Cookstown sizzle has been part of family life for decades and is an essential for a traditional Ulster Fry. But, as their products range from these legendary sausages to bacon, gammon joints and sliced ham, they have every meal time covered, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Seven years ago, £8million was invested in major site improvements at the Cookstown facility, to support plans to better meet market demands and stay ahead of the game. This included a massive £6.5m investment in new chilling and processing technology.

Committed to providing good quality, locally farmed, fresh products, Cookstown – regular award winners at both industry and retailer annual awards ceremoniesalso recognise the importance of value for money for their customers and so have moved to an everyday value pricing strategy across their entire range. They have also revamped their packaging so all products have a bright sharp feel. You can’t miss them on shelf in your local store.

As well as the aforementioned George Best television and newspaper advertisement campaign (Ivan Bell, who was Cookstown sausages sales manager at the time, said sales went from “pounds being sold on a weekly basis to tonnes being sold”), Cookstown also embarked on many other successful and memorable promotional campaigns down through the decades, including Pat Jennings and the Cookstown Sizzle, Local Pork No Porkies, VIP (Very Important Pork) and #MeTime.

In 2007, Cookstown District Council unveiled a commemorative plaque as a way of thanking the Manchester United and Northern Ireland soccer legend for putting the County Tyrone town’s famous pork sausages on the international map. The commemoration, which was requested by local football clubs, was erected on the site where Cookstown’s great range of pork products – including hams, bacon, gammon and sausages – continues to be produced to this day.

Working with over 150 Irish farmers both north and south, Cookstown is proud of the fact that all their meat is locally sourced to ensure the best animal welfare standards, production chain traceability and supply of the highest quality pork products into the local market.

Ireland’s premier pork processor has been leading this market for eight-and-a-half decades and continues to innovate and set the standards in today’s increasinglychallenging and –competitive marketplace.