Cloughbane Farm wins 'Outstanding Business Award'

Cloughbane Farm Foods, a producer of convenience foods, has been named Northern Ireland's 'Outstanding Business of the Year' in the region's agricultural awards.

Based on a family farm at Pomeroy in county Tyrone, Cloughbane specialises in meat and prepared foods such as pies for leading retailers including Tesco.

The company, established in 2002, is now among the most successful and progressive farm diversification businesses in Northern Ireland. It draws its meat, mostly from Aberdeen Angus and Limousin cattle, raised on 180 acres of rich pasture in County Tyrone which is owned by husband and wife team Sam and Lorraine Robinson.

Lorraine Robinson, managing director of Cloughbane Farm Foods, commenting on the award, says: "We are delighted to have won this important award for the agri-food industry in Northern Ireland. It's a great endorsement of the premium quality and innovation of the foods we produce.

Mrs Robinson adds: "Provenance is a key marketing feature for us. Customers know that the products use ingredients from our farm and surrounding farms and that they are processed to the highest hygiene standards. Our farm shop provides essential first hand feedback from shoppers and will remain an important part of the business."

As well as beef, the farm raises lamb and free-range eggs. In addition to its own beef, the company sources supplies of high quality meat from other local farmers.

There were awards too for other local food producers. Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt of Bangor, county Down, the region's only yoghurt business, gained the award for "Best New Product or Service', Mash Direct of Comber, also county Down, gained the award for 'Best Export Initiative' and Keenan Seafoods of Belfast was chosen as the 'Best Supplier'.
Mash Direct produced a wide range of convenience foods from potatoes and vegetables. Johnson's Coffee of Hillsborough, county Antrim, gained the award for 'Training Initiative of the Year'.

The Northern Ireland Agricultural Awards competition was launched at the start of the year to showcase the qualuty and innovation underpinning the region's most important industry. Agri-Food is a £5 billion industry which employs over 100,000 across an extensive supply chain.