Broighter Gold Rapeseed marketing launch sparkles
Broighter Gold, the award winning Northern Irish rapeseed oil business, has launched an innovative marketing drive to raise awareness of the healthy benefits of the culinary oil.
The company, based on the family farm of Richard and Leona Kane near Londonderry, has turned the rapeseed processing business into a working visitor attraction, the first of its type in the British Isles, and is now hosting visits from chefs and women's organisations keen to see how the rapeseed oil is processed.
Activities have also included expert cooking demonstrations using oil that's cold pressed by Leona Kane on the farm from its own extensive rapeseed crop.
The business has been listed recently within the Economusee network and was officially opened in February by Sally McKenna from the respected Bridgestone Irish Food Guide.
Mrs Kane, who runs Broighter Gold, commenting on the company's inclusion within the global Economusee organisation, says: "Economusee draws us within a prestigious network of artisans who open their doors to the public so as to share their passion for their trade.
"Businesses in the network are chosen for the quality of their products, a tremendous endorsement of the premium quality of the rapeseed oil that we produce on our farm. It's a completely natural product that's entirely under our control. The recognition is helping us to build on existing sales in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and to turn the interest we are now attracting from high-end retailers in Great Britain into firm sales."
Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil is also being used increasingly by top chefs in Ireland because of the unique features of the product that is rich in Omega 3,6,9 and Vitamin E and also because of its versatility as cooking oil. The oil also has half the saturated fat of olive oil.
The mission of Economusse is to conserve, develop and present traditional trades and know-how by promoting the setting up of a network of working museums across the country and abroad so as to offer a high quality cultural and tourism product to the public.
Established in 2011, Broighter Gold is an artisan business based at Broglasco, the Kane family farm, in Myroe, near Limavady, on the edge of Lough Foyle just above sea level on reclaimed land. The arable farm covers 700 acres - 120 are used to grow the oilseed.
The fertile ground grows high yielding crops of wheat, barley, oilseed and potatoes. Ireland's greatest find of gold artefacts from the Iron Age of the 1st century BC was found on the farm and is now held by the national Museum of Ireland.
Established in May 1992, the Economusee network promotes heritage that "earns its keep", helping artisans to become financially self-sufficient. It seeks to conserve the best of tradition, develop cultural tourism and learning travel. This knowledge economy seeks to turn tourists into wise consumers.