Graham’s Bakery In Sales To Gourmet Stores In London And Dublin
Family bakery Graham’s in Dromore, Co Down has developed unique Christmas products for two of the world’s most respected gourmet food halls.
The iconic Fortnum and Mason (F&M) food hall in London’s Piccadilly is now selling luxury chocolate Yule Logs developed by the bakery which is based in Dromore, county Down.
In addition to the business with F&M, Graham’s has also produced luxury mince pies for Fallon and Byrne, the high-end grocer in Dublin.
F&M and Fallon and Byrne are new customers for the progressive Northern Ireland bakery which has developed significant business in Britain as well as to the United Arab Emirates, the US and even Fiji.
Timothy Graham, the sales and marketing manager at Graham’s Bakery, continues: “The F&M business came from a lead provided by one of our suppliers. We followed it up quickly and were invited to tender to the specifications from F&M for a luxury Yule Log for this Christmas.
“We used our extensive and successful experience in baking chocolate swiss rolls to come up with an original, hand rolled, very chocolately luxury log for the F&M team to taste. We were thrilled when the contract was placed with us given F&M’s discerning customer base.
“It’s a marvellous boost for our business to be supplying products to such a respected food retailer dedicated to premium products with outstanding taste.
“Key to the products’ success is the ingredients from other Northern Ireland food producers, especially creamy butter from Ballyrashane in county Derry. It’s a marvellous opportunity for us to develop a business relationship with such an influential retailer which also now has operations in Dubai and Hong Kong,” adds Mr Graham.
The company’s first business with Fallon & Byrne, another gourmet specialist, in Dublin is the outcome of a lead from trade development agency Invest Northern Ireland. “I was given details of Fallon & Byrne’s requirement for a supplier of luxury mince pies for the Christmas season in its store and restaurant. It was another requirement right up our street, because we’ve been baking our own mince pie recipe for a great many years.
“Our team of experienced bakers developed a bespoke recipe for luxury mince pies. The pies are made from Ballyrashane grass-fed butter with premium mince and a touch of brandy.Winning business with such a renowned and popular grocer is another marvellous endorsement of our bakery skills. We’ll also be working to carry this important relationship forward in 2020,” Mr Graham says.
The bakery, a UK Great Taste award winner, is a third generation family business that started producing a range of freshly baked breads, cakes and buns in 1956 in Dromore. It now operates from a modern bakery in the town.
The company now employs over 60 people and has a wide portfolio of products all baked on site. It has received Invest NI assistance for the development and marketing of the bakery and its products.
