Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, a small food producer in county Down, has secured an order worth around £100,000 with coffee giant, Costa, to supply its artisan Greek style yoghurt to Costa’s Northern and Southern Ireland stores. Costa is set to launch the Clandeboye Estate Greek Yoghurt throughout Ireland across its network of 87 stores, as part of a new breakfast menu, which will include mix and match yoghurt pots, crunch granola and berry compotes. Commenting, Lady Dufferin said, “We are delighted that Costa Coffee has chosen Clandeboye Estate to supply their Greek style yoghurt. We are particularly excited about supplying Costa’s entire network of stores in both the North and Southern Ireland.” The Clandeboye Estate brand has been extremely successful following the launch of the range in 2007, quadrupling turnover in the last five years to more than £600,000. The company are currently supplying many different retailers across Northern Ireland, including the big three major firms, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda.
Donnybrook Fair is to open its first store on Dublin's Northside, according to reports. The Irish Independent reported this morning that the chain, operated by Joe Doyle and his family, is to open a store in Malahide, which will involve an investment of €1 million. The store, which would be the sixth in the Donnybrook Fair portfolio, is scheduled to open in the second half of 2015, subject to approval from Fingal County Council.
Harvard Business School experts say that the Irish food industry must escape the “commodity trap” to achieve its potential. Addressing Bord Bia’s ‘Pathways to Growth’ seminar at the Dublin’s Smurfit School of Business, Prof David Bell said that whilst the Irish drinks industry was “in fantastic shape”, more work needs to be done in the food sector. Bell said the food industry needed to turn towards added-value product, rather than simple commodities: “Commodities are known for low margins and high volatility, which is obviously not what you want.” Adding value could also help businesses manage the high costs of trading in Ireland, he argued. Bell also urged businesses to tap into people’s passion for food by creating “thinking houses” where consumers and entrepreneurs could share ideas about the future of the industry.
The overall KBC Ireland/ESRI Consumer Sentiment Index decreased to 87.1 this August, from 89.4 in July. Meanwhile, the three-month moving average rose to 85.9 in August, increasing from 83.3 in July. Ciara Morley, ESRI said: “Consumer sentiment fell slightly in August, following an increase in July. The decrease is driven by worsening perceptions of the current economic environment and the outlook for the coming year.” Morley continued, “The index of current economic conditions fell to 98.3, from 103.5 in July. Households are less positive about the current buying climate, most likely due to the end of summer sales. The index of consumer expectations fell very slightly in August, to 79.6 from 79.9 last month, as households were negative in their perception of the economic outlook for the next year.” However, Morley added that, ‘Households continue to feel positive in their views of the labour market and in their expectations for their financial situation over the next 12 months.”
Cottage Catering in County Down is set to supply 15 Spinneys supermarkets in Dubai with eight dessert product lines. The range of products will include cheesecakes, trifles, sundaes and ganaches. Austin Moore, Cottage Catering general manager, commented: “This is a very exciting development for us in a completely new and dynamic market. We’re encouraged by the new business and feedback from customers on our range of products. We are working closely with the team at Spinneys to exploit what is a very significant new business opportunity and being assisted by Pan Euro Foods in Dublin, which is handling distribution for us.”
‘Taking Care of Business’ is a free half-day event, due to be held at the Printworks Conference Centre, Dublin Castle on October 16. The event is targeted at people thinking of starting a business, or small business owners and managers. It will allow attendees to ask questions in an informal setting, receiving advice from a diverse range of government agencies. A key aim of the event is to increase entrepreneurs’ understanding of key regulations that affect them, which will allow them to focus on running their business. To facilitate this, the initiative of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation will bring together experts from a total of 27 different State bodies, offering information on what advice and supports are available across the public sector. Minister Richard Bruton is due to open the event, while Director of Publicpolicy.ie will chair the first set of presentation, and Gina Quinn, CEO of Dublin Chamber of Commerce and Senator Feargal Quinn, the remaining sessions.
SuperValu has unveiled a supplier ‘village’ at this year’s National Ploughing Championships, in order to showcase its links to Irish suppliers. Recipe demonstrations featuring SuperValu Food Academy dishes will be lead by Irish Chef Kevin Dundon, with Dublin footballer Bernard Brogan, Mayo footballer Aidan O’Shea and retired Kerry player Paul Galvin set to join him on stage on the SuperValu Village Green. Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu commented, “We are very proud to be at the National Ploughing Championships showcasing our commitment to local communities." Also exhibiting at the National Ploughing Championships this week are Aldi, Tesco and Lidl.
Tesco Mobile Ireland has reported a growth of 25% in its customer base, now at 250,000 subscribers, over a period of one year. According to the company, its subscriber base has grown by 50,000 in the last year, with the latest report from ComReg showing a market share increase of +4.3%, since the same time last year, taking it up to 5%. Elaine Russell, Managing Director of TMI commented, "In the last 12 months, 13 dedicated phone shops have opened within Tesco stores, bringing to 19 the total number of Tesco phone shops across the country. By the end of 2014, we will have 20 phone shops in Tesco stores, and this investment is delivering 15 new jobs.”
Marking the return of whiskey production to Tullamore after a sixty-year absence, owner of Tullamore Dew Irish Distillery, William Grant & Sons, officially opened the doors of its new distillery last week. The €35 million, state-of-the-art distillery was constructed over two years, and is the first new distillery to be built on a Greenfield site in Ireland in over 100 years. Built in order to meet growing international demand for Tullamore Dew, the Distillery will be capable of producing the equivalent of 1.5 million cases of Tullamore Dew a year. Stella David, Chief Executive of William Grant & Sons commented, “This new facility will secure our future production demands for the rest of the century, as Irish whiskey embarks on its most exciting chapter yet. Distilling began in Tullamore 185 years ago and this is a significant day for both the town and Tullamore Dew, as the opportunities now open to the category are unprecedented. We are committed to Tullamore Dew and are focused on building the brand and investing for the long-term.”
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Emily Horne and Nathan Evans.
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