TENDERLEAN WINS PIZZA BUSINESS FROM DUNNES

Northern Ireland based Tenderlean has secured a major contract to supply the complete range of own label chilled pizzas to Dunnes, the Irish supermarket chain, for its food stores. Tenderlean is now manufacturing pizzas for the chain's three brands including its up market ???Simply Better' range in a deal which has established the County Fermanagh company as a significant supplier of these convenience foods to retailers throughout the island of Ireland. It follows the company's successful launch last year of its own premium ???La Pizza' chilled range. The family-owned and managed business operates from a modern processing plant and is now the largest manufacturer of fresh, chilled pizzas in Ireland. It has a longstanding reputation for excellence in processing beef and lamb products for leading food retailers. Mark McCaffrey, Tenderlean's Managing Director, commenting on the new contract, says: ???This is a marvellous endorsement of the quality of the pizzas that we are able to produce at Derrylin. What it also does is to strengthen our reputation as a producer of a broad range of convenience meals, a high growth and very dynamic sector within the food marketplace. ???It's been a new development enabling us to use our expertise and our reputation as a quality food processor to enhance our overall business offering in a competitive and fast moving marketplace. ???We've invested heavily in developing our pizzas, an investment which includes recruiting a top Italian chef who has created new flavours as well as old favourites. ???Key to the growing success of the pizzas is the focus he has brought by using only Italian ingredients including distinctively flavoured hand-stretched and wood fired bases from a specialist bakery in Italy. We've worked closely with him and provided our own knowledge on product from our own farms and others throughout Ireland. Derrylin is also strategically placed to supply multiple food stores in the Republic and Northern Ireland,??? he adds. Tenderlean's success demonstrates the values embedded in the recently launched ???Northern Ireland Good Food Is In Our Nature??? campaign.