2019 Irish Food & Drink Business Awards Open For Entries
The 2019 Irish Food & Drink Business Awards, which recognise the pre-eminent manufacturing and supply chain companies operating across the food and drink sector in Ireland, are now open for entries.
The prestigious awards programme, which was first introduced last year, is the first of its kind on the island of Ireland in celebrating the food and drink manufacturing and production industry. Designed to promote the best of Irish manufacturing and the people behind the products, the 2019 Irish Food & Drink Business Awards will be presented at special ceremony and gala dinner at the Citywest Hotel & Convention Centre in Dublin on the evening of Thursday, 5 September 2019.
BFree Foods won Gold in the Health & Wellness Product of the Year category.
The awards presentation dinner will follow the 6th National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition, Ireland’s premier trade event for the food and drink processing and retailing sectors, which is being held earlier that day at the same venue.
The Irish Food & Drink Business Awards were conceived and presented by Premier Publishing & Events, the Dublin-based international conference and exhibition organiser and the publisher of Food & Drink Business Europe magazine and the www.fdbusiness.com industry news portal.
Speaking about the awards John Whelan, Chairman of Premier Publishing & Events, who headed the 2018 judging panel, says: “I was extremely impressed by the strength of entries for the event and everyone in my opinion who enters the awards is already a winner. Irish food produce continues to go from strength to strength and the Food & Drink Awards is about recognising those successes.”
Sylvia McCarthy, Organiser of the Food & Drink Business Awards, explains: “Innovation is key to driving growth and offering consumer value within the food and drink sector in Ireland. These awards are unique in that they recognise the key industry players who are working hard at driving food production and manufacturing. The Food & Drink Business Awards recognise the most talented producers in the industry in Ireland.”
Entry to the awards scheme is free. The 2019 Food & Drink Business Awards incorporate the following 18 categories:
* Bakery/Confectionery Company of the Year
* Best Supply Chain Innovation of the Year
* Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year
* Exporter of the Year
* Food & Drink Innovation Company of the Year
* Ingredients Supplier of the Year
* Food Service Company of the Year
* Fresh Produce Company of the Year
* SME Company of the Year
* Health & Wellness Product of the Year
* Lions’ Den Winner -Start-Up Award
* Craft Beer/Cider Company of the Year
* Spirits Company of the Year
* Beverages Company of the Year (non-alcoholic)
* Meat/Poultry Company of the Year
* Seafood Company of the Year
* Own Label Brand of the Year
* Packaging Company of the Year
* Sustainable Factory of the Year
* Life Time Achievement
In addition, an overall winner from all the category gold medallists will be selected as the Grand Prix – Food & Drink Company of the Year. All entries will be processed by an independent judging panel comprising well respected names within the Irish and international food and drink industry with proven expertise within their specialist fields of knowledge.
To enter or to nominate a candidate to any of the above categories, visit http://www.awards.fooddrinkevent.com/
Inaugural Irish Food & Drink Business Awards
The inaugural Irish Food & Drink Business Awards launched last year attracted a total of 245 entries across 15 categories. Having won the Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year category, Dairygold Food Ingredients scooped the overall prize, taking the Food & Drink Company of the Year title.
All the winners in each category along with the Silver and Bronze medallists are listed below.
Meade Potato Company won the Fresh Produce Company of the Year Award 2018 and the Sustainable Factory of the Year Award 2018.
Reasons to Enter the 2019 Awards
The awards allow entrants to promote their businesses before the biggest names in the Irish food and drink manufacturing, grocery and food service sectors, while raising their profile and receiving industry-wide recognition. Participation in the awards scheme is an opportunity to showcase your products and services to a wider audience, including potential buyers and investors, and also to gain publicity from media coverage.
The awards have been introduced to highlight and encourage new talent and innovation in the food and drink industry and to promote this in both domestic and international markets. Furthermore, the awards presentation diner provides an excellent opportunity for networking with other finalists and winners.
Reactions
Jeni Meade, Marketing Communications Manager for Meade Potato Company, which won the Fresh Produce Company of the Year Award 2018 and the Sustainable Factory of the Year Award 2018, comments: “The Food & Drink Business Awards had all the components of a winning awards programme: highly respected judges, top class competition in all categories and a thoroughly enjoyable awards evening. We were delighted to win two awards amongst such brilliant finalists. The awards helped to open new doors for us with both potential and existing customers; we can recommend entering this high calibre programme to any food and drink companies that wish to highlight their business achievements to an audience of their customers and peers.”
BallyKeefe Distillery won the Bronze medal in the Sustainable Factory of the Year Award category. Morgan Ging, Owner and Managing Director of BallyKeefe Distillery, says: “We prioritise sustainability in every aspect of the farming and distilling operations at Ballykeefe Distillery. We are a flagship member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme and have invested heavily in ensuring the lowest possible carbon footprint and zero off farm waste. And so to win an award for Sustainable Factory at the 2018 Food & Drinks Awards in our first year of operation, was truly a wonderful achievement for us and echoes our commitment to ensure that sustainability and environmental protection are central to the business plan at Ballykeefe Distillery.”
Opportunity
East Coast Bakehouse won the Bakery/Confectionery Company of the Year category in 2018.
“For East Coast Bakehouse, the event was a fabulous opportunity, prior to a number of trade shows, to outline to our domestic/international customers our prestigious recognition,” remarks Daragh Monahan, Commercial Manager for East Coast Bakehouse, which was chosen by the judges as the Bakery/Confectionery Company of the Year 2018. “It was also a great boost for our East Coast Bakehouse team, who take such pride in ‘Baking Better Biscuits’.”
Ruth Jenkins, Marketing Manager of Blanco- Nino, which came second in both the SME Food & Drink Company of the Year and Exporter of the Year categories, says: “It was a real privilege to receive the Silver award in two categories at the Food & Drink Business Awards. We were in great company and were delighted to see the talent within Irish business on display.”
Blanco- Nino came second in both the SME Food & Drink Company of the Year and Exporter of the Year categories in 2018.
In addition to the manufacturing sector, the Food & Drink Business Awards also cover the food service channel. “Those of us in the food tourism and hospitality sector are passionate about co-creating the wow experience with our visitors. It is heartening to receive national industry recognition for this work. Winning the silver award for Food Service Operator of the Year in the Food & Drink Business Awards 2018 has hugely benefited my business,” points out Madeleine Forrest of Ducketts Grove Tearooms. “It has strengthened relationships with my staff and local suppliers. It has resulted in new contracts for our bespoke corporate and special events catering and it has encouraged me to embrace new opportunities. I am looking forward to the Food & Drink Business Awards 2019!”
Worthwhile Experience
Even entrants who did not win found the experience of participating in the awards worthwhile. Leonie Lynch, Founder/Director of Juspy, which has developed a cacao and orange real-food drink, explains: “When you are trying to run your business, it is difficult to justify the time it takes to enter awards. However, they are and should be an important part of your marketing strategy especially if you are proud of what you make, then you should shout about it right? We are so proud of Juspy Original so last year we entered the Food and Drink Business Awards.”
Tom and Laura O’Leary of Wexford Home Preserves with their children Lila and Robbie.
She elaborates: “Even though we had only recently launched our first product we still felt we could compete and we took the chance to enter in a category we knew would be filled with big players. We were so delighted to be chosen as one of the finalists in the Health & Wellness Product of the Year category. We were in such good company there on the night. Being part of the awards and being able to use our finalist badge has been great for us at this stage in our business because it adds to our credibility. It is a great award and the night out to celebrate is even better!”
Likewise, Laura O’Leary of Wexford Home Preserves, says: “It was a privilege to be a finalist in last years’ Food & Drink Business Awards especially given the list of excellent Irish food businesses which we were competing against, such as Keoghs Crisps and The Happy Pear for example.”
The Winners of the 2018 Irish Food & Drink Business Awards
Dairy Manufacturing Company of the Year
Dairygold Food Ingredients – Gold
Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers – Silver
North Cork Creameries – Bronze
Meat/Poultry/Fish Company of the Year
Manor Farm – Gold
Keohane Seafoods – Silver
Burren Smokehouse Ltd. – Bronze
Bakery/Confectionery Company of the Year
East Coast Bakehouse – Gold
Gallagher’s Bakery – Silver
Gem Pack Foods Ltd. – Bronze
Beverage Company of the Year
Britvic Ireland – Gold
Listoke Distillery & Gin School – Silver
Bewley’s Tea & Coffee – Bronze
SME Food & Drink Company of the Year
The Happy Pear – Gold
Blanco Nino – Silver
Keogh’s Crisps – Bronze
Sustainable Factory of the Year
Meade Potato Company – Gold
Dairygold Food Ingredients – Silver
Ballykeefe Distillery – Bronze
Food Safety & Quality Initiative of the Year sponsored by EIQA
Irish Fish Canners – Gold
Manor Farm – Silver
North Cork Creameries – Bronze
Food Service Operator of the Year sponsored by Hotel & Catering Review
Freshly Chopped – Gold
The Tea Rooms at Duckett’s Grove – Silver
The Happy Pear – Bronze
Food & Drink Innovation of the Year sponsored by Henderson Food Machinery
Blendi – Gold
Aldi Ireland – Silver
Drioglann Shliabh Liag CGA – Bronze
Best CapEx Project
Cloughbane Farms – Gold
Health & Wellness Product of the Year
BFree Foods – Gold
Freshways Food Co. – Silver
Caveman Grub -Bronze
Fresh Produce Company of the Year
Meade Potato Company – Gold
O’Shea Farms – Silver
Clarkes Fresh Fruits – Bronze
Own Label Brand of the Year
Dunnes Stores Simply Better – Gold
Marks & Spencer – Silver
Aldi Ireland – Bronze
Exporter of the Year
Keogh’s Crisps – Gold
Blanco Nino – Silver
Nutri-Snax Ltd. – Bronze
Grand Prix – Food & Drink Company of the Year
Dairygold Food Ingredients
