Harrow Food Distributor finds A Slice of Heaven in Northern Ireland

A Slice of Heaven, the Northern Ireland manufacturer of hand-made, fresh desserts, has won its first business in Britain. The company, which is based in Newtownards, County Down, is now supplying desserts such as fresh cheesecakes and Banofee pies to high-end hotels, restaurants and other foodservice clients in London through a deal with Rajiv Tanna, a Harrow-based food distributor.

The breakthrough in Britain, the outcome of a web search by the distributor for a supplier of innovative desserts, follows the Northern Ireland company's success in the Republic of Ireland from taking part in the recent CATEX show for caterers in Dublin.

"We were approached by Tanna in April to see if we would be interested in supplying desserts to the London area. We sent samples over and subsequently signed a contract to provide a monthly consignment consisting of our range of cheesecakes and banofees," says Heather Boyle, A Slice of Heaven's managing director, since 2008.

"The feedback from the distributor and his customers has been excellent. Our challenge now is to build on this business and to follow up inquiries from other potential customers in Britain. What we offer is a genuine artisan product that's handmade from only the best, mostly locally sourced ingredients.

"The breakthrough in London and the success we are now enjoying throughout the Republic, particularly in key centres such as Dublin, Cork and Galway, shows that are desserts are seen as offering quality at a competitive price point," she adds.

Since exhibiting at CATEX in February the company has seen its business in the Republic grow to more than 10 per cent of sales. To develop this business, the company, which employs just 12 people, has signed an agreement with Lynas Food Service, one of Ireland's largest independent frozen, chilled and ambient food service operations.

"Lynas Food Service is an excellent fit for us because the distributor has an extensive network in the Republic and a sales team of almost 40 people. I've been working closely with the Lynas team, drawing on my experience gained in sales and marketing over almost 20 years," Mrs Boyle says.

As a result of this agreement, the company is currently supplying cheesecakes, banoffees and other desserts to a variety of restaurant groups, sandwich bars, coffee chains, hotels, event caterers, independents and gastro pubs. It recently launched a gourmet cheesecake as a tasty and cost-effective alternative to the traditional multi-tiered cake for weddings.

In addition to cheesecakes and banoffee pies, A slice of Heaven makes pavlovas, tray bakes, Tiramisu, chocolate brownies and cupcakes for customers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.