WildBerry Bakery among Food Academy companies to showcase produce at SuperValu stand at the National Ploughing Championships
Cork-based Food Academy producer WildBerry Bakery has scooped the prestigious ‘Small Producer of the Year’ title for its Orange & Almond Cake at this year’s Irish Quality Food Awards. Based in Balineen, Co. Cork, the award-winning bakery produces a range of handmade baked goods, including the ever-popular Orange & Almond Cake.
WildBerry Bakery will be among a range of Food Academy startup food companies showcasing their produce at the SuperValu stand at the National Ploughing Championships this week. Through the Food Academy programme, SuperValu brings community based food start-ups to market and 200 small food producers will secure retail listings worth €15 million with SuperValu in 2015.
The SuperValu stand is now a well-established go-to gourmet food destination, celebrating quality, Irish produce and the very best of local Irish food producers. The Food Academy showcase at Ploughing will offer visitors an opportunity to see the value that Food Academy has made to farm families and local businesses across the country, while also demonstrating a selection of their innovative products. Visitors to the SuperValu stand will be encouraged to create their own Good Food Karma moments as they enjoy a range of delicious locally-sourced wholesome food.
Commenting on the award, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director SuperValu said, “We are delighted to see one of our Food Academy food producers recognised with the coveted award of Small Producer of the Year and we congratulate WildBerry Bakery on their title. There are some really inspiring success stories coming out of Food Academy and we look forward to celebrating this at our Ploughing showcase.”
“Food Academy is all about helping small artisan food producers get their products to market and grow sustainably, just as WildBerry are doing. Through the programme, a food startup can begin its relationship with a local SuperValu store, with the potential to grow their business across our entire store network. This is good news for producers and good news for SuperValu customers – as you will often find products in our stores which aren’t available elsewhere.”
Susan Robbins Fehily of WildBerry Bakery said, “It is so encouraging to be called out as the ‘Small Producer of the Year’ at a national competition. Working with local SuperValu retailers through the Food Academy, has given us a route to market which otherwise would not have been open and provided us with the skills required to expand the business sustainably.”
SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and now has 222 stores nationwide. 75% of everything on SuperValu’s shelves is sourced or produced in Ireland. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible and purchases almost €2 billion worth of goods from Irish suppliers which help to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.
