Mash Direct named Overall Food Manufacturing Company 2016
Northern Ireland’s Mash Direct, a specialist in quick-serve convenience meals, has been named Overall Food Manufacturing Company of 2016 in the prestigious Food Manufacturing Excellence Awards.
The family-owned and managed company, based on a farm at Comber, county Down, also won the Chilled and Fresh Produce Company of the Year Award at a gala ceremony at the Hilton Hotel, London.
And there was a third major award for Northern Ireland. Moy Park of Craigavon, county Armagh, a previous winner of the overall award, also won award for Training Programme of the Year. Moy Park, now owned by JBS of Brazil, is Northern Ireland’s biggest food processor.
Both Mash Direct and Moy Park are Food NI member companies.
The awards, hosted by celebrity Carol Smillie and organised by Food Manufacture magazine, have been running annually for 16 years and are regarded as the most important in the UK food manufacturing industry.
They recognise and reward outstanding performance and innovation in manufacturing businesses of all sizes and across all sectors from beverages and bakery to dairy and chilled. These awards are guaranteed industry-wide recognition; positive customer attention and a huge team celebration for the business.
Mash Direct, established by husband and wife team Martin and Tracy Hamilton in 2004, is now among Northern Ireland’s most successful, innovative food and widely respected businesses. It has an impressive track record in new product development and supplies most of the leading supermarkets in the UK and Ireland. In addition, the company has significant export business in the US, Europe and the Middle East.
The company is the market leader in the production of a highly innovative and rapidly developing portfolio of delicious quick-serve potato, vegetable and cabbage products.
An emphasis on provenance and traceability means that the family farm produces the majority of the raw materials with the rest being meticulously sourced throughout the UK and Ireland to produce a range free from artificial additives, preservatives or colourings.
Mash Direct has also won recognition in other major competitions such as the US Great Taste Awards and the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards.
Food Manufacture magazine is the market leading brand and recognised voice for the UK food manufacturing industry. With a leading monthly magazine, daily news website and a host of key industry events; Food Manufacture delivers the latest industry news and information to 1000’s of senior decision makers from UK food manufacturing companies.
