SALSA accreditation for Northern Irish artisan bakery
L'Artisan Foods in Northern Ireland, an award-winning baker of Portuguese influenced patisserie and savoury products such as quiches, has achieved SALSA accreditation.
Based in Craigavon, county Armagh, the company, which is owned and run by husband and wife team Jose and Lucia Andre, has won UK Great Taste Awards for its bakery products which also include Portuguese egg custard nata tarts and coxinha, Brazilian chicken fritters, is aiming to grow its business outside Northern Ireland, especially in the Republic.
"SALSA accreditation will be a tremendous boost for the business especially with leading retailers of premium bakery products," Mr Andre says. "While we already have some business there, the accreditation demonstrates to leading specialist retailers and premium coffee shops. SALSA shows we produce wholesome, quality and safe food."
SALSA is a food-safety standard written by experienced food safety experts to reflect both the legal requirements of producers and the enhanced expectations of 'best practice' of professional food buyers.
Certification is only granted to suppliers who are able to demonstrate to an auditor that they are able to produce safe and legal food and are committed to continually meeting the requirements of the SALSA standard.
The couple, who have worked in catering in Brazil, set up the business, L'Artisan Foods, in Craigavon in 2013 and began supplying smaller foodservice outlets and delis in Northern Ireland.
Food production was an obvious career move for Mr Andre. He originally came to Northern Ireland to help leading food companies here recruit employees from Portugal to take on tasks that they couldn't find locals willing to undertake.
He had owned a successful restaurant in his Brazilian home town of Porto Alegre, the largest city in the south of the huge South American nation. "I'd always loved food and been keen on the industry. Porto Alegre has a very diverse and cosmopolitan cuisine with German and some Portuguese influences."