Food NI Members Collaborate To Offer Customers Delivery And Call & Collect Services
Food NI food and drink member companies are collaborating increasingly to help each other meet the cash flow challenges from the current coronavirus lockdown.
Companies across the 400-strong member network are helping each other to generate business through both online and doorstep delivery initiatives.
Food NI’s Michele Shirlow: “We are keen to encourage such inspirational collaboration and are helping the growth in such business contacts between our member companies.
“Many of the companies involved in the collaboration have worked together with us at trade shows in Britain over the past year. Our role in drawing smaller companies together to grow sales has been supported from Invest NI’s Small Food Development Programme.
“Our team has a wealth of knowledge about – and contacts with – all our members and is ready to continue brokering such business relationships,” she adds.
The most recent support initiative has involved Rademon Estate Craft Distillery in Crossgar, Co Down, home of the multi-award-winning Shortcross Gin, which is now sold worldwide, including two smaller drink producers in Portadown – Long Meadow Cider and McCracken’s Real Ales – on its highly successful e-commerce shop.
Both were quick to respond when Rademon Estate offered smaller drink producers here access to its online store. Fiona Boyd Armstrong, Redemon’s managing director, says: “We were concerned about smaller companies facing cash difficulties because of the lockdown and decided to offer to include those interested on our online shop. We were delighted when Long Meadow and McCracken’s decided to take up our offer,” adds Fiona.
Ryan McCracken, founder of McCracken Real Ales, says: “I was thrilled when Rademon decided to include my five-strong range of craft ales in their shop. As a result of this collaboration, I’ve already had orders from Northern Ireland andScotland for the craft beers.
“It’s great to get cash flow moving again after the advent of the Covid-19 outbreak led to 80 per cent of my sales to restaurants and hotels disappearing virtually overnight. I am immensely grateful to Shortcross for their generous support,” adds Ryan.
Long Meadow’s Catherine McKeever is also appreciative of support from the leading local craft distillery. “It was very generous of the team at Shortcross to open up their online shop as we do not have an online platform to sell.
“In doing so they have provided us with an opportunity to keep channels open between ourselves and our customers and enabled us to continue supplying our products especially now at such a crucial time and when hotels restaurants and bars are closed.
“Customers can now place orders via both Shorcross and our own website with delivery direct to their door. We are delighted to be working in collaboration with such a reputable family business,” she says.
Another Portadown producer collaborating with other smaller food processors is Ballylisk of Armagh Triple Rose cheese. The company, owned by Dean Wright, found its cheese business crippled by the virus and responded swiftly by launching a fresh milk delivery service from the farm.
The company has recently added dry-cured bacon and sausages from Kennedy Bacon of Omagh along with potatoes from Wilson’s Country in Portadown and a local egg supplier to its ‘menu’ of products customers can order through social media and pay online for contact less delivery to their doorstep.
And Tom and Ollie in Belfast, a specialist in Mediterranean-style products, has also included other artisan products such as Burren Balsamics of Richhill, Belfast Hot Sauce, Ruby’s Jams and chutney from Portadown and Young Buck cheese from Newtownards and Ballylisk Triple Rose cheese in its portfolio for delivery across Northern Ireland and into Donegal.
In Co Down, Krazi Baker Mark Douglas is delivering griddle-baked breads to many parts of the county as well as parts of Armagh. As well as breads and shortbread biscuits, he is also delivering Abernethy Butter from Dromara ordered through Facebook.
