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Northern Ireland based award winning Co Couture, is launching three new chocolate bars on the back of its success in winning two gold awards in a major international awards competition.

The gourmet chocolate company, formed by trained chef Deirdre McCanny, has developed three new bars ??“ dark chocolate with rum and raisin, dark chocolate and milk chocolate with honeycomb ??“ to add to its successful range of truffles and its first venture into the challenging chocolate bar market ??“ dark chocolate with biscuit and cranberry, which gained a two gold star rating in the recent Great Taste Awards.

Northern Ireland based Mash Direct, the award winning specialist in quality convenience potato and vegetable products, has launched three new products including one which has recently gained a gold award in the Great Taste Awards 2008, a competition organised by the influential Guild of Fine Foods in London.

The achievements of 26 local food and drink companies, mostly smaller enterprises, in winning almost 50 gold awards in one of Europe's biggest taste events have been praised by Maynard Mawhinney, Invest Northern Ireland's Food Director.

Mr Mawhinney described the 48 gold awards won by companies from every county, across a broad range of sub-sectors as ???an important measure of the emergence of Northern Ireland as a source of quality and highly innovative food and drink products???.

Economy Minister Arlene Foster has praised Kettyle Foods in Lisnaskea, for its commitment to developing export markets.

The Minister was speaking during a visit to the company's beef processing plant at Manderwood Park, where she met with Managing Director Maurice Kettyle. Kettyle Foods produces a premium range of dry aged beef from grass fed Aberdeen Angus and Hereford herds.

Membership of the new Industry Advisory Panel, (IAP), established to support the agri-food sector, has been confirmed.

Food companies are being given an opportunity by Invest Northern Ireland to do business with one of India's leading food retail and wholesale operations.

Fourteen local companies are meeting David Moran, a senior representative from RK Foodland of Mumbai, to present their products during a visit to Northern Ireland on 22 and 23 July.

In picture is Philip Mills, Business Development Director for Johnson's Coffee, and Maynard Mawhinney, Invest NI Food Director, celebrating the company's new coffee deal in the US.

Irish coffee roaster Johnsons, an Invest NI client company, has won first-time business from one of the leading food retailers in Texas. Johnsons, based at Lisburn, is supplying its distinctive Irel brand of ground coffee to Albertson's LLC, which has over 100 grocery stores in Texas, mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Texas stores are part of a network of markets across the US run by Iowa headquartered Albertsons LLC.

Four smaller food companies have been helped by Invest Northern Ireland to achieve a globally recognised quality accreditation that will help them to develop business with major supermarket chains throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The companies - Golden Popcorn, Mallusk, Northern Ireland's only popcorn producer; Graham's Bakery in Dromore, a bakery specialising in cakes, tray bakes and muffins; Linwoods, Armagh, a manufacturer of healthy cereals; and William Sprott, Portadown, a bacon and ham processor ??“ have all achieved BRC (British Retail Consortium) accreditation.

Diners at gourmet restaurants in Great Britain and Ireland are now able to experience the unique flavour of Belfast based Suki Tea's loose-leaf blends. Joining the ever-growing portfolio of Suki Tea clients are Jamie Oliver's inspired ???Fifteen' restaurant at Watergate Bay, Cornwall, Rick Stein's ???The Seafood Restaurant' at Padstow, also in Cornwall, and the Donnybrook Fair ???Eat Up' Restaurant in Dublin.

The company also put together a special tea menu for Donnybrook Fair featuring 12 of its most exquisite blends including the rare Jasmine Pearls, White Tea, Darjeeling and its own fair trade products. A range of Suki teas is also now available at Donnybrook Fair gourmet retail outlet in Dublin.

Northern Ireland based Mash Direct, an award winning specialist in quality convenience potato and vegetable products, has been listed by Sainsbury initially for 23 supermarkets in its network in Scotland.

Sainsbury has placed an initial order for four of Mash Direct's steamed ready-to-cook vegetable products ??“ mashed potatoes, carrot and parsnip, champ and mashed turnip.