Boost in sales for Northern Irish farmhouse ice cream
Glastry Farm Ice Cream, Northern Ireland's leading artisan producer of luxury ice cream and low fat sorbets, saw a 15 per cent rise in sales in 2014/15 as a result of its focus on foodservice.
Based on a family dairy farm at Kircubbin in county Down, Glastry is now preferred by leading chefs in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The quality of the ice cream has also been endorsed in the UK Great Taste Awards, the 'Oscar's' of the food industry in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Glastry is also launching two new flavours for summer 2015 - Callebaut Finest Belgian Chocolate with Homemade Salted Caramel and White Chocolate with Blackberries.
Will Taylor, a respected and successful dairy farmer, who founded the business as a farm diversification in 2007, says: "The continued growth in our sales in Northern Ireland and the Republic is the outcome of a strategic decision to focus on working with chefs in high-end restaurants and some delis. We work closely with them in developing different flavours for their menus.
"We recognised some time ago that there was really no scope for an artisan producer in the wider retail market for us to try to compete on a volume basis. This led us to focus on a foodservice niche as well as upmarket delis and it is proving to be a successful move."
Glastry has distribution deals in Northern Ireland and the Republic including Buggy Foods and Limerick Frozen Foods for its portfolio of premium ice cream and luxury sorbets.
The company's products have also won approval from Georgina Campbell's Ireland, the island's leading independent hospitality. The critically acclaimed guide, established by top food and hospitality writer Georgina Campbell, lists the best accommodation and food products on the island of Ireland.
Glastry Farm premium ice cream and creamy sorbets are handcrafted from milk from the farm's own pedigree Holstein-Friesian herd. The farm has also been accredited by the UK Red Tractor organisation.
The products are free fromartificial additives, stabilisers or other artificial ingredients, thereby assuring customers of the wholesomeness of the ice cream and sorbets.
The range currently features 20 ice creams and five low-fat sorbets, the most popular being pear flavour. Other ice-cream flavours include rhubarb and custard, heavenly chocolate and berry blueberry. The company also supplies ice cream to the National Trust and to leading hospitality organisations in Northern Ireland including Hastings Hotels and the Fitzwilliam.
Pic Caption L-R: Chris Mawhinney, executive head chef and Michael Young, executive sous chef, at the Hilton Hotel in Belfast, with Will Taylor, managing director, Glastry Farm Ice Cream