TOP ARTIST BRINGS STYLE TO YOGHURT TUBS

Top artist Lady Dufferin has launched her own packaging with unique labeling based on her distinctive paintings. She's helped to create a new brand identity for Clandeboye Yoghurt, which is produced in a new processing plant on her estate at Bangor in Northern Ireland. The yoghurt lids and promotional materials feature colourful landscapes with the estate's award winning Holstein and Jersey herds. Clandeboye Yoghurt, now the only yoghurt produced in Northern Ireland, won the Provenance Award for the Best New Product from a small company in a prestigious competition organised by the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association. The Holstein herd was last year judged the UK's finest pedigree herd. The natural and Greek-style yoghurts are hand made using traditional techniques to provide a rich creamy texture without fat content. The milk is prepared and cultured very gently over a 24-hour period in small batches. This helps to create the exceptional flavour and texture. The Greek style yoghurt is also made in traditional way by straining through cheesecloth to create a product with absolutely no thickening additives and therefore no added fats. Launched initially on stalls at farmers' markets including the main Belfast market, the yoghurts have moved onto the shelves of delis and some up market food stores. In the pipeline are new specialty yoghurts blended with honey, and with blackcurrant and rhubarb compotes, all grown on the estate. ???Our focus is on developing products using only the most natural ingredients,??? says David Crawford, Clandeboye's general manager. ???The yoghurt is processed using milk from our own herd with probiotic cultures. We began producing the yoghurt about a year ago as part of our farm diversification project and have been distributing both locally and to other parts of Northern Ireland. Feedback has been extremely positive from retailers and consumers and this has encouraged us to explore opportunities and new products,??? he adds. The market response also led the company to invest in a branding that will help to set it apart on the shelves. ???We've come up with an identity and a lid design which, we believe, will attract the attention of consumers. We're probably the only artisan yoghurt producer able to call on the creative talents of an internationally respected artist,??? Mr Crawford says. Clandeboye's success demonstrates the values embedded in the recently launched ???Northern Ireland Good Food Is In Our Nature??? campaign.