Latest news

Business Lounge travellers at Belfast International Airport are now able to experience the distinctive flavours of Fivemiletown Creamery’s award winning cheese from a decision to focus on local food. The creamery’s cheese gained five gold stars in the latest UK Great Taste Awards, announced at the weekend.

Northern Ireland food and drink companies will be briefed on how to use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to grow global business at a major innovation event in September.

Glenarm Organic Salmon in Northern Ireland doubled sales of fresh salmon last year in markets including the US, Europe, Singapore and Dubai.

Northern Ireland’s Armagh Cider has won business from the iconic Guinness Storehouse in Dublin for its hand-crafted cider.

The company, which sources apples from its own orchards in County Armagh, is supplying its Maddens Mellow Cider, a silver award winner in ‘Best in Category’ at the first International Cider Challenge in London, to Guinness Storehouse. It has also won business from Donnybrook Fair, Dublin’s upmarket retailer.

O’Doherty’s Fine Meats in Northern Ireland has launched a new pork pie based on its successful and unique dry cured Fermanagh Black Bacon. The artisan meat business, based at Enniskillen in Northern Ireland’s picturesque lakelands, has used its old-fashioned, traditionally cured Fermanagh Black Bacon to create an 8oz pork pie product in response to demand from customers.

Shazzam, the Northern Ireland based maker of speciality jams, relishes and chutneys, is spicing up its unusual portfolio with an innovative range of ‘Marmalade Shots’… breakfast jams with a kick!

Blackthorn Foods, the award-winning gourmet fudge maker, is moving into sauces with the launch of a unique Fudge Fondue under its successful Melting Pot brand.

The company, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, has created the handmade Fudge Fondue product, a butter fudge in a Cazuela, a tapas-style earthenware dish, for cooking in a microwave, oven or on a barbecue as a deliciously different sauce. The dish contains 140gms of handmade fudge. Heating softens the fudge which can then be used as a fondue dip, sauce or dessert accompaniment.

Morelli’s Ice Cream in Northern Ireland is marking its centenary by driving sales in the Republic of Ireland. The company, a specialist in Italian ice cream, aims to expand direct sales there and has invested in a fleet of refrigerated vans.

The company has set up a distributor in Dublin and is seeking expansion in foodservice and retail. It has a number of foodservice accounts in the Dublin area as well as retail outlets in border counties of the Republic especially Donegal.

Deli Lites Ireland aims to grow sales of gourmet sandwich, wraps and salads in the Republic of Ireland to over 50 per cent of turnover this year. To expand existing business, the company, based at Warrenpoint, County Down in Northern Ireland is investing over ?600,000 in facilities and an extensive marketing drive.

En Place Foods (UK) in Northern Ireland has won initial business in Britain for a radically new range of flavoured oils, essences, pestos, tapenades and chutneys.

Formed by top chef Paul Clarke and Peter Hannan, managing director of award winning Hannan Meats, En Place Foods is applying molecular gastronomy techniques in the development of a portfolio of highly innovative products aimed at high-end chefs in particular.