New Product Gold For Unique Fivemiletown Cheese At Nantwich

The first in a series of unique cheese products ??" Boilie Goat's Cheese filled with Pesto and Black Olive Tapenade ??" was unveiled by Fivemiletown Creamery at last month's Nantwich International Cheese Show and gained a Gold award from the judging panel. The innovative product is the outcome of a relationship the creamery, a specialist in hand-made cheeses, has forged with respected development chef Pete Williamson of Creative Technical, who works closely with Waitrose on product development, and the Food Innovation team at Loughry College in Northern Ireland. Fivemiletown Creamery is currently implementing a major new product strategy that includes a number of innovative cheeses for snacking and recipe cheese occasions, a growth target for the company in the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe. A key element of the strategy is the development by the company of its successful Boilie Brand that already includes Goat's Cheese Pearls marinated in garlic and herbs available nationally in ASDA. Mervyn McCaughey, Fivemiletown Creamery's Managing Director, says: ???We took the opportunity provided by the Nantwich International Show to introduce the first of our new product lines. The decision to do so followed very positive feedback from our focus groups and tasting sessions. ???So encouraging were the trials we decided to enter the filled Boilie in this year's Nantwich Cheese Awards. I had a strong feeling that these products would excite the cheese judges as they deliver something new and unique in terms of taste, visual appeal and functionality. ???The new products that we are creating with Pete Williamson represent a new direction for us within the cheese industry. Our existing Boilie cheese is benefiting from a developing trend, particularly in Europe and the US towards unique flavours that marinated products offer. Goat's cheese filled with Pesto and Black Olive Tapenade is a radically new departure for the industry.??? Kevin McManus, Sales Manager for Fivemiletown Creamery, added: ???Winning a Nantwich Gold award for new and innovative products is a major boost. This signifies that Fivemiletown Creamery has their finger on the pulse in terms of product innovation. He adds, ???retail customers are constantly seeking exciting new products to tap into category growth trends. This award highlights our ability to develop products which have real taste appeal whilst also fitting the business needs of our customers.??? Another Boilie product ??" Goat's Cheese with Garlic Infused Oil ??" gained a Bronze award at Nantwich. The company, which already supplies major retailers such as Sainsbury, Asda, Walmart, Tesco and Galeries Lafayette in France, also gained Gold for its Ballyoak Smoked Brie. A dairy co-operative, Fivemiletown is Northern Ireland's only speciality cheese producer. It currently sells around 90 per cent of its cheeses to customers outside Northern Ireland.