The winners of Bord Bia’s Food and Drink Industry Awards 2009 were announced on Thursday 5th November at the ninth annual Food and Drink Industry Day in the IMI Conference Centre Dublin. This year’s awards recognised excellence in a wide range of areas including sustainability, export market performance, outstanding entrepreneurial flair in small businesses, and marketing leadership. Glanbia, Kerry Foods, Glenisk, ABC Nutrition, Oak Park Foods, C&C and Highfield Nurseries were named as this year’s winners:
Spotlight Award
Glanbia won this award for the re-branding of its fortified milk - Super Milk. Super Milk in its distinctive red and white packaging has been one of the success stories of the Irish dairy market, growing at a rate of over 15 per cent in 2008 and a further 6% in 2009.
Environmental Enrichment
Glenisk picked up the award for Environmental Enrichment. Last year, Glenisk installed its own wind turbine, achieved an internal recycling rate of 97% and a 45% reduction in waste going to landfill. Glenisk has excelled in producing a high quality and desirable product while minimising their manufacturing imprint and impact on the environment.
Consumer Focus
Oak Park Foods won this award for its pre packed bacon rib. The family run company has a unique integrated food chain which guarantees total traceability from feed to fork. Their winning product 'Oakpark Bacon Rib' is unique to the Irish marketplace as they have taken a product that is traditionally sold over the butcher counter and developed a value pre-pack alternative.
Thinking Big
ABC Nutrition, a human nutrition company based in Shannon, County Clare picked up this award. They manufacture and distribute nutritional powders, vitamin capsules, and spray vitamins. The company is fully Irish owned by four individuals who have a wide range of experience in the sports nutrition and health nutrition industries.
Born Global
Kerry Food’s Cheestrings won this award for their outstanding performance in challenging export markets. The brand now occupies the top slot for children’s cheese snacks in the UK and enjoys a 27 per cent share of £200m cheese snack market. Cheestrings are also performing strongly in the France and Holland with an estimated 300 million Cheestrings eaten annually across Europe.
New Perspective
Highfield Nurseries picked up the New Perspective award for its Living Flavour potted herb and lettuce plants which marked a change in focus for the business in 2008 from potted flowers to a fresh herb range. The range developed in conjunction with Bord Bia’s Brand Services programme.
Home Grown
The C& C drinks group picked up this award for Bulmer’s pear cider which was launched in March 2009. Bulmers Pear cider is C&C’s first departure from apple cider and its creative “Embrace the Pear “ campaign has so far generated over €11million worth of sales in a challenging domestic market.
Final 2009 Brand Forum event
As announced at the Awards, Alan Dukes is the guest speaker at the final Brand Forum event of 2009 on the 11th November. Given his current role as Board Director with Anglo Irish Bank and his previous experience, he is well placed to give a viewpoint on how he sees the outlook for the Irish economy as well as implications for the Irish food and drink industry. The event takes place in Bord Bia and starts at 6.30pm. To register for this event, please CLICK HERE