Look out world ??¦the Melting Pot is Coming
Gourmet Northern Ireland fudge producer, Blackthorn Foods has been on a real roll this past few months, securing substantial new business in the UK and USA through new direct listings and via newly appointed distributors, as well adding to its haul of Great Taste Awards.
Six of the company's ten Melting Pot fudges have now been recognised by the Guild of Fine Foods, with two products in the range achieving two gold stars this year - Rum & Raisin Fudge and the recently launched Manuka Honey Fudge, which was deservedly named Best Speciality Product in Northern Ireland.
This year's string of achievements kicked off in May when the Wholefoods chain of deli supermarkets, which is owned by the US Fresh and Wild Group, listed the company's complete range of fudges. Commenting, Dorothy Bittles of Blackthorn Foods said: "Securing a listing for all ten of our products is a real coup for us. Everything stocked by Wholefoods has to be natural and/or organic and our Melting Pot fudge range meets this criteria.
"All our fudge is made using completely natural ingredients, such as local butter and milk, real rum and genuine Irish cream liqueur. It is all free from e-numbers, trans-fats, artificial additives or colourings and is made in small batches in the traditional way, using melting pots (hence the Melting Pot brand name!) and hand beaten with wooden spoons to achieve its incredibly smooth and creamy texture. Once set, the fudge is hand-cut and hand-wrapped in wax and brown paper - it's a very labour intensive process, but the result is a truly artisan product that tastes delicious.
"We have had very positive feedback from Wholefoods and many of its customers about the range and are delighted to report that the sales figures to date reflect that," added Dorothy.
Blackthorn Foods also appointed three new UK distributors in July - Cress Company in Dunfermline, Scotland; Cotsworld Fayre in Henley-on-Thames; and Hider in Hull. "While we already deal direct with about 400 customers in the UK, these new distribution agreements will really widen our reach and our products' availability," said Dorothy.
"All three distributors have very well established customer bases in our target market and already through Cotswold Fayre we have been asked for product details and images from Harrods and Harvey Nicholls, while Hider has secured a listing for Melting Pot Fudges with Dobbies Garden Centres. At the moment, Dobbies has 25 outlets in the UK, including a new one here in Northern Ireland, but the company has huge expansion plans and we would be delighted to see our business grow alongside that.
"Through an agent, Colin Kiddell, we have also secured several large orders from Christmas hamper companies, who were looking for an exceptional quality fudge - and what could be better than fudges from a multi Great Taste Award-winning range," continued Dorothy. "We have created special packaging for the hamper range, which includes our Butter and Rum & Raisin fudges, as well as two very seasonal / extra luxurious lines - Baileys & White Chocolate and Cranberry & White Chocolate."
Blackthorn Foods is making its first steps into the huge US market. The Ulster Kitchen, an Irish food company based in Atlanta, is listing all ten of Blackthorn Foods' standard fudges, but with 'Made in Ireland' featured on the packaging. "We are really excited about our first foray into the American market," said Dorothy. "We believe there is real opportunity for us there, as we have many people contact us directly wanting to know where they can buy our fudge, having already sampled it from the duty free shop at Dublin Airport. In fact, we've even had enquiries from as far away as Australia.
Blackthorn Foods is owned by sisters Dorothy Bittles, Jenny Lowry and Cathy Johnston, who learned to make fudge and toffee as children with their father Patrick, who helps out in the business. The basic fudge recipe they use is his and is one passed down from generation to generation. What the sisters have done is bring a traditional Irish product to the modern market through flavour twists, including garlic fudge, which is made especially for The Garlic Farm on the Isle of Wight, which sells around 18 kilos of this unusual confectionery every fortnight!
Melting Pot Fudge is also sold at many of the UK's leading country estates, including RHS Wisley and Castle Howard, famous as the setting for Brideshead Revisited.