Food Makers

Thousands of entrepreneurs around Ireland make artisan food and drink products. Aldi commissioned photographs of participants for its recent ‘Grow with Aldi’ in-store promotion, some of whom are featured here. Photos by Gerry Grace

Thousands of Irish people make great-tasting artisan food and drink products. This photo showcase features some that have made it on to supermarket shelves

Aldi and SuperValu operate supplier development programmes for micro food and drink enterprises, in partnership with Bord Bia. SuperValu’s Food Academy programme has supported 290 Irish food and drink producers and this year, 45 Academy graduates had their products listed in selected stores. In 2020, there was a 15% growth in Food Academy sales, generating €28m revenue for suppliers.

In June, the annual ‘Grow with Aldi’ programme provided 57 suppliers with a two-week listing across the chain’s 145 stores. And five of the suppliers will be offered a contract for their products to be sold in Aldi’s Irish stores year-round.

Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia’s CEO, says the Grow with Aldi programme highlights the assortment of distinctive, innovative and delicious products small and medium Irish suppliers are working hard to create. “The programme also supports participants as they develop business skills and capabilities through workshops and tailored mentoring, which is key to building a resilient and thriving indigenous food and drink sector for the years ahead,” she adds.

l Below and on the following pages are some of the food and drink makers who benefited from the Aldi showcase.

Deirdre Fitzgerald and her brother Patrick run the WOODFIRE & GREEN restaurant in Sandyford and with lockdown, they pivoted to click and collect, as well as DIY dinner kits such as the burger box, pizza kit and lamb kofta box. Burgers are a speciality, and the duo developed their own Woodfire & Green Burger Sauce, which made the cut for a two-week listing with Aldi.

Mother-of-three Loretta Kennedy began her food venture at home in 2018. She wanted a healthy tomato ketchup for her children, and MAMA BEAR is low in sugar and contains chicory root fibre to aid healthy digestion. “We chased the Goldilocks effect for a while until we found the missing ingredient, which gives the lovely glossy finish and texture,” she explains. Following support from her Local Enterprise Office and relocation to commercial kitchens in Cork, Loretta ramped up production. The product range has been extended to a healthy tomato pasta sauce with ‘hidden vegetables’ and no added sugar or salt. The ketchup also comes in roasted garlic and smoky barbecue flavours.

Nestled in the bucolic Glen of Imaal in Co. Wicklow, BALLYHUBBOCK FARM produces ice-cream and halloumi using sheep’s milk. The business is run by thirdgeneration farmer George Finlay and his wife, Hanna, a research officer with Teagasc. The Finlays were struggling to keep the 108-acre family farm profitable before turning to sheep-milk production, initially for a range of ice-creams and then cheeses. “Creamier and sweeter than the bovine variety, sheep’s milk is also more nutritious,” says George. The farm’s range of ice-creams uses novel flavour combinations such as lemon curd and raspberry crumble. The brand’s awardwinning halloumi, a type of cheese that is usually imported, also uses 100% sheep’s milk.