Luxury ice-cream maker wins SALSA quality mark

Glastry Farm, the Northern Irish producer of luxury ice-cream and rich low fat sorbets, has achieved SALSA quality accreditation in its focus on developing retail and foodservice sales particularly in Britain. Safe and Local Supplier Accreditation will help the company in responding to a number of approaches from potential customers outside Northern Ireland.

The company, a farm diversification initiative based at Kircubbin in county Down, has already significant business in foodservices in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Glastry's luxury ice-cream has also featured in the Great British Menu television programme and has been experienced by international celebrities including former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton.

Glastry Farm also aims to launch Northern Ireland's first frozen yoghurt dessert next month. It has won a string of awards including UK Great Taste Awards for its Kilbeggan Whiskey Ice-Cream and Apple and Schnapps Sorbet, the latter featuring Jack Daniels Bourbon.

Dairy farmer Will Taylor, who set up the business in 2007, says: "SALSA accreditation is an important development for the business. It demonstrates that we are a quality business in terms of our production processes and the ingredients we use especially our milk, sourced from our own Holstein-Friesian animals, which graze the lush pastures on the Ards Peninsula, an area of natural beauty.

"This means that customers can count on the traceability and provenance of all our products, an immensely important consideration today. Our farming operations, which provide all of our milk requirements, are also Red Tractor accredited. We know exactly everything that goes into our ice-cream and sorbets," he says.

The company's portfolio currently features 20 ice-creams and four sorbets. While sales of all its products are growing steadily in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, the company has seen spectacular interest in its low fat sorbets, fast becoming the preferred dessert with women.

The decision to extend the portfolio to include frozen dessert yoghurts was also influenced by a swing among consumers towards healthier options. Glastry teamed up with another artisan business, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, based in Bangor, county Down, in developing the new desserts, the initial flavours of which are likely to be raspberry and mango.

"Customers are increasingly recognising the strength of our commitment to innovation - the frozen yoghurt is another example of this - and have also produced low fat, dairy free sorbets. New ideas is what our customers and consumers are demanding, and we are responding, trying to stay ahead of the competition in particularly challenging times," he adds.

The company has also developed a new style Ice Cream Wafer or Sandwich that's already being featured on menus at Northern Ireland's leading chain of upmarket hotels including the world renowned Belfast Europa.

The Glastry Farm Ice Cream Slider, aimed at the foodservice markets in the UK and Ireland, is a layered terrine featuring Rhubarb and Custard, Heavenly Chocolate and Berry Blueberry ice creams between two homemade shortbread biscuits.

Glastry Farm Ice-Cream plans an eight-fold increase in output through the development of a new processing plant, again on the family farm.