Fivemiletown's new premium ice cream tastes international success

Fivemiletown Creamery, the innovative Northern Irish dairy business, has launched a delicious range of seven premium ice creams and two low fat sorbets. One of the new ice creams was recently nominated for a major global award for innovation at the big dairy industry event in Oslo, Sweden. The company's unique strawberry and balsamic cheesecake ice cream was recognised in the 'Best Ice Cream' category in the International Dairy Innovation Awards.

In addition, the creamery, Northern Ireland's oldest speciality cheese company, was listed for two new cheese products - Boilíe pearls filled with basil pesto and Boilíe pearls filled with tomatoes and herbs.

Peter Dunlop, Fivemiletown Creamery's marketing manager, commenting on the new ice cream and sorbet range, says: "Creating deliciously different ice cream is a logical development for the company which now has an international reputation for quality dairy products, particularly an exceptional range of award-winning soft cheeses and butter.

"As well as our new cheese products, we saw an opportunity to make greater use of the increasing levels of milk we are now attracting because of our commitment to ensure the highest returns possible to our suppliers in Tyrone, Fermanagh and other parts of Northern Ireland.

"We were also encouraged to explore opportunities in ice cream from many existing customers, particularly in foodservice and catering. The ice cream was test marketed with focus groups and key clients, producing enthusiastic feedback in terms of overall taste and flavours. We've since been encouraged by initial orders that we've received," he adds.

The Creamery, renowned internationally for its portfolio of speciality cheese products, has created seven ice cream flavours - nude, vanilla, original strawberry, honeycomb, raspberry and panacotta, strawberry and balsamic cheesecake, and Valrhona chocolate. The two sorbet flavours are lemon and mango and passion fruit.

The new products have been created by Steve Giles, who has a wealth of experience in developing ice cream.

Fivemiletown Creamery ice cream range is the latest stage in a diversification programme to expand its business further and to ensure around 70 Northern Ireland dairy farmers, who supply premium quality milk, continue achieving high returns.

The new Fivemiletown Creamery ice cream range is being targeted initially at foodservice clients in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland through the company's existing distribution channels.

Established in 1898 as farmer-owned co-operative, Fivemiletown Creamery currently employs around 90 people and has seen sales of speciality cheeses increase five-fold in the past two years. The cheeses have won acclaim from the Nantwich International Cheese Awards and the UK Great Taste Awards.

The creamery now supplies soft cheeses to major retailers in Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland, other parts of Europe, the US and Asia, where it recently secured a contract for its cheese range from Dairy Farm International in Hong Kong, one of Asia's biggest retailers. In addition to soft cheeses, Fivemiletown Creamery produces a range of creamy cheddars.

Picture caption

Steven Giles, Fivemiletown Creamery, enjoys the company's new premium ice cream while a supplier looks on!