Dunbia wins award for tasty fillet steak
Dunbia, the Northern Irish meat processor, has gained a European Angus Award for the outstanding taste and texture of its fillet steak.
The company, based in Dungannon, county Tyrone with processing businesses across the UK and Ireland, won acclaim for its fillet steak in the steak tasting competition organised by the European Angus Cattle Society.
Dunbia was listed in the category for companies with 15 or more employees in the competition held annually in Northern Ireland. The society aims to promote the quality of angus cattle among both farmers, butchers and processors. Dunbia also gained the award for best burger in the over 15 employees category.
The company is Northern Ireland's biggest processor of meat, lamb and pork products, supplying many of the UK's key retailers and exporting to around 15 countries including China. Dunbia is also set to acquire a meat processor in England as it seeks to expand its pork business.
The family-owned business is to buy G Wood & Sons, a family owned and managed meat processor with an abattoir located in the East Midlands.
The proposed acquisition, subject to due diligence, will allow Dunbia to build on its pork processing business in Northern Ireland. It will also complete the supply chain in the midlands by integrating with the group's pork processing plant in Crewe and its recent multimillion-pound investment in sausage processing at its Preston factory.
Dunbia managing director Jim Dobson says: "This will be a strategic acquisition for Dunbia which will allow us to integrate our supply chain by aligning the Mansfield abattoir with our boning operation in Crewe.
"The deal builds on our strong network of abattoirs across the UK and provides us with access to additional supplies of British quality assured and higher welfare pork. We see this acquisition as an opportunity to expand our pork division in line with our customers' requirements."
The European Angus Competition also showcased the strength of the family butchery sector in Northern Ireland, with the Supreme Champion Award for sirloin steak going to Millar Meats in Irvinestown, a family butchers in county Fermanagh for its fillet steak in the under -15 employees category. The supreme champion was sourced from Dexter cattle. Belfast butchers Abbotts Meats gained the award for best rib-eye steak.
Other family butchers winning awards included Gallaghers Fresh Food Centre in Strabane, county Tyrone for its sirloin steak and McAtamney's Butchers in Ballymena, county Antrim for rib-eye steak.
O'Kane Meats from Claudy, county Derry won the best beef and gourmet sausages. Beef sausages from John C Hoy Butchers in Portadown, county Armagh and R&J Family Butchers in Carrrickfergus, county Antrim also won awards. The best beefburger award was won by Greenmount Farm Shop in Richill, county Armagh, a family business which has also won UK Great taste Awards for its meat.
The awards were based on blind tastings of the products by a panel of expert judges.