The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Kerry suppliers secure deal with supermarket
TWO KERRY-BASED businesses have won the backing of a kick-start programme headed up by a major global supermarket chain and backed by the Irish food board.
Wellness Baking Listowel and Cromane-based herbal-tea company ‘The Busy Botanist’ have been selected by LIDL Ireland among 68 products to be supported under the ‘Kickstart Supplier Development Programme’, which is supported by the Irish Food Board.
As part of their selection, both companies will showcase products in more than 200 stores throughout the island of Ireland. Wellness Baking will have its brown soda bread stocked in LIDL stores, and the product is quite unique in that it is free of both soya or eggs, being made instead using gluten-free oats and buttermilk.
The Busy Botanist was founded three years ago by Jo Arbon and Clair Kelly, and three of its tea varieties – ‘Pick Me Up Tea’, ‘Sweet Dreams Tea’, and ‘Women’s Problems Tea’ – will each appear during the nationwide showcase, which got underway last Thursday.
The programme has received backing to the tune of €1m over the past three years, and Ildiko Bajzat of Wellness Baking in Listowel explained that her company is now into its fourth year in the programme.
“It’s great to be recognised, and to get a nationwide platform,” she told The Kerryman. “In the first year, we sold 40 per cent of our products in the first week and the other 60 per cent in the second week, and I do know that every single product of ours sold in the second and third year as well.
“We have got customers from all over the country ordering our products after being involved in this programme previously. It’s a huge boost, particularly to a small company.
“COVID would have hit us early on during the lock-down, and we did lose some business
– a lot of people were baking at home! But whatever we lose, we will gain back through this programme. So I’d like to thank LIDL and, as well, our customers.”