New Chook Chook retail poultry brand takes wings

Chook Chook, a funky new brand, has been launched by one of Northern Ireland's longest established poultry businesses to grow sales in key markets including the Republic of Ireland.

The brand has been created by HK Dickeys of Cullybackey, near Ballymena, in county Antrim and is targeted at retailers in particular. A long-time specialist in fresh and cooked chickens, Dickeys has developed Chook Chook to help set the small business apart in a fiercely competitive market.

Managing director Wesley Dickey, who now runs the business started by his parents in the fifties, says: "The new Chook Chook brand gives us a personality and a way to talk to customers that we haven't tried before.

"We want to expand the strong business we already have for fresh and cooked chickens by means of this new brand and additional products we are planning."

The company also specialises in chicken-based products including Sweet and Sour Chicken, Coq au Vin, Chicken Florida, Chicken Curry and Chicken Bake. It offers a complete range of breaded products which have proved popular because of the quality of ingredients used. It manufactures boneless and skinless "low-fat" products by hand.

The company, in addition, has linked up with Andy Rea, a leading Northern Ireland chef and restaurant owner, in the development of new restaurant quality products. Chook Chook products are developed from the company's own poultry. It manages birds from field to fork.

"We are really excited about the future for Chook Chook," he continues. "We have carried out a tremendous amount of market research and now have so many ideas that we want to bring to market.

"This is just the start of something really important developing in our industry - going back to our roots. We are also passionate about supporting local farmers, raising chickens and appreciating the superb food we can produce here in Northern Ireland.

"We hope the new Chook Chook retail brand will be appreciated by consumers as something completely different. It's a contemporary brand identity," he adds.