Couverture has been named the overall winner of the SuperValu Irish Food Producer Awards 2012. The company produces a range of luxury deserts for the SuperValu own brand range, and most recently has developed ‘SuperValu Supreme Fruit Shots’, as part of the SuperValu’s Signature Range for Christmas.
The company, which employs 22 people in Dublin, was chosen due to the quality of its range and its focus on new product development and it has invested €40,000 this year alone in R&D, to ensure they continue to bring innovative desert products to the market.
The awards, which are held in association with Enterprise Ireland, recognise excellence, quality and innovation within the food and beverage sector in Ireland. In addition to the overall winner, there were six category winners as part of the awards. The category winners were:
- Best Newcomer – Bombay Pantry
- Best for Quality – Kepak
- Best Local Producer – West Cork Distillers
- Best Fresh Product – Fresh Cut Food Services
- Best for Innovation – Couverture
- The People’s Choice – Clonakilty Black Pudding
Commenting at the Awards, Martin Kelleher, MD SuperValu, said: “The SuperValu Irish Food Producer Awards give us the opportunity to acknowledge the outstanding work of Irish suppliers. I want to congratulate Couverture and all the category winners on their awards. Couverture supply us with our Own Brand Supreme range of desserts and I personally can attest to the quality of their produce.”
“As one of over 600 suppliers Supervalu works with, Couverture is an example of an SME from our thriving food sector making a vital contribution to the Irish economy. As the number one supporter of the Irish food industry, we are delighted to reaffirm our commitment to Irish suppliers like Couverture to help sustain 30,000 jobs across the country.” Kelleher added.
In 2011 the total purchases of Irish goods and services made by SuperValu, was worth over €1.6bn to the Irish economy, serving to both create and protect almost 30,000 Irish jobs in the farm, food and retail sector. SuperValu is the only supermarket with a store in every county, with 195 stores across Ireland.
