Write a commentNewry's fresh food supplier, Around Noon, has won the Best Direct to Store Supplier Award for the second year running at the Henderson Wholesale Local Supplier Awards breakfast at Balmoral Show.
The company, which provides a selection of sandwiches and snacks to over 400 SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVO branded stores across Northern Ireland, successfully reinvigorated Henderson Wholesale’s lunch and snack category in recent years, and continues to provide fresh, quality and affordable lunchtime solutions to the wholesaler.
Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director at Henderson Wholesale commented; “This is the fifth year of the Local Supplier Awards, and the most successful to date. We received a record amount of over 40 entries from 29 of the local producers, farmers and growers who supply to the company and our stores in Northern Ireland.
“We have seen some truly innovative and sustainable practices from our suppliers in the past year, which helps us to continually grow our fresh food offering in store for daily shoppers. The enjoy local range is expanding and reached sales of over £25.5M last year, and we wouldn’t be able to stock such a high-quality range without these suppliers.
“We’re delighted to reward them at the annual breakfast here at the Balmoral Show; I send my heartfelt congratulations to all winners, highly commended and shortlisted, and thanks to our independent panel of judges.”
The winners were decided by David Elliott, editor of Ulster Business Magazine, UFU Rural Affairs Committee Chairperson Freda Magill, Joy Alexander, Head of Food Technology Development at CAFRE and Sam Butler, Irish Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists.
The judges scrutinised the entries across five categories which reflect the workings of Henderson Wholesale’s fresh ambition to always be passionate about local food, local people and local companies.
As platinum sponsor of The Balmoral Show, SPAR has been on site this week with a range of family activities, as well as taste-testing with Ulster University’s Food and Consumer Testing (FACT) Suite, sampling from other local food companies, and cookery demonstrations from brand ambassador, Paula McIntyre.
Paddy Doody, Sales & Marketing Director at the Henderson Group added; “The Balmoral Show is so important to us as a company as it gives us a chance to directly engage with our shoppers, potential shoppers and the cream of the crop of our local agri-food industry.
“The fifth annual Local Supplier Awards have been an enormous success and they solidify our commitment to the food and agri industries here in Northern Ireland. Congratulations to the organisers of the Show on such a successful four-day event.”
