HAVE A JOLLY LOLLY TIME AT DUBLIN ZOO

There's an extra treat in store for visitors to Dublin Zoo ??" delicious Belgian chocolate lollies shaped like various zoo animals and birds, hand-crafted by Belfast-based Baxter Murrary Creative Chocolate. The seven times Great Taste Awards Gold Star winning specialist chocolatier secured the business to supply Dublin Zoo's shops and souvenir and gifts centre with the bespoke range of chocolate lollies following an introduction by Shane McArdle, Invest Northern Ireland Food Sector Marketing Advisor in the Republic of Ireland. Baxter Murray's biggest customer in Northern Ireland is Belfast Zoo and having visited Dublin Zoo and seen that it did not have it's own branded range of confectionery, Shane introduced the two parties, which resulted in the new business deal. Commenting, Michael Murray of Baxter Murray said: ???This is a fantastic new contract for us. Over 70 per cent of Baxter Murray product is already exported to the UK but up until now we did not have much presence in the Republic. Through Shane McArdle's help, we have now taken that first big step and already our exports to RoI have reached five per cent of our volume. With over a million visitors every year, Dublin Zoo is a fabulous shop window for what we can do and we look forward to seeing our business in the Republic continue to grow.??? Baxter Murray is supplying Dublin Zoo with eleven unique moulded chocolate lollies in a range of adult and children's sizes, including a lion, lioness, lion cub, two different elephant designs, a monkey, penguin, gorilla, toucans and a tiger, all in custom designed Dublin Zoo branded packaging. The lollies, as with all the company's products, are made with top quality Belgian chocolate, which is nut, gluten and GM free. ???The first order was delivered in March and the lollies are obviously proving a big hit with visitors to the Zoo, as we have made a further two deliveries since then,??? said Michael. ???In fact, based on our long-standing success at Belfast Zoo and now the response from Dublin Zoo, we have now created a specialised company brochure for zoos and wildlife parks, showcasing the type of moulded chocolate products and packaging we are able to produce for them. We have identified 48 potential customers throughout the UK and will be actively targeting them with our zoo range.??? Established 15 years ago, Baxter Murray Creative Chocolate specialises in bespoke moulded chocolate for the corporate/promotional markets, as well as producing its Great Taste Gold Star award winning range of truffles. All the chocolate moulds and the packaging are designed in-house to customer requirements, with over 4,000 moulds currently in-stock. Just about any shape or size can be created to suit any need, from moulded chocolate slabs featuring a corporate logo to large hollow chocolate swans that are then filled with truffles for a centrepiece at weddings.