Trade News Belfast fudge for London New cost
saving tool for logistics
professionals
Three for fudge: Directors of Blackthorn Foods, Dorothy Bittles, Jenny Lowry and Cathy Johnston
Gourmet fudge made by Blackthorn Foods in east Belfast is now being sold in London by natural and organic specialist Whole Foods. The US‑owned retailer is the latest in a string of new customers for Blackthornʼs handmade and hand wrapped fudge products, marketed under the ʻMelting Potʼ brand.
Other recent customers include Donnybrook Fairʼs upmarket stores in Dublin, shops at three museums in the Irish capital including the prestigious National Museum of Ireland. It already supplies museum shops across Northern Ireland including the stunning Ulster Museum in Belfast. Blackthorn, a Great Taste Awards winner in 2009, has a strong commitment to innovation and recently launched the first Manuka honey fudge to hit the market along with a chocolate fudge.
A family owned Belfast business, formed and managed by sisters Jenny Lowry, Dorothy Bittles and Cathy Johnston, Blackthorn specialises in award winning handmade fudge. Jenny Lowry says: “Our traditional fudges are
made the old fashioned way by hand, using only the finest ingredients and all our products are hand wrapped. Flavours range from the original butter fudge to the baileys and white chocolate and award winning honeycomb and chocolate.”
The company has struck gold at successive Great Taste Awards, often described is as the Oscars of the food industry. A Great Taste Award is the authoritative, independent standard for the UK and Irelandʼs food sector. Entries have also been attracted from other parts of Europe. Awards are graded in three gold standards, starting at one gold star and rising to three.
Blackthorn Foods is the second successful business formed by the entrepreneurial trio. They previously owned Salad Fayre, Newtownards, a specialist in premium salads and other convenience foods. They sold this business and started Blackthorn Foods, an artisan fudge maker with a recipe provided by their father and using high quality ingredients
Check out Checkme
Checkme, a new global business initiative launched by Randox Laboratories, a longstanding chamber member, will help people spot health conditions faster than ever. The company is bringing Randoxʼs global expertise in leading edge biochip diagnostics to the high street, providing a revolutionary concept in preventative healthcare. Diagnostic tests that can identify conditions including diabetes and cardiac disease are now available on a walk in basis. The portfolio of tests available from a single blood sample include checks on key organs, allergies, digestive conditions and fatigue. David Boyd, Checkmeʼs managing director,
says: “With just one fast, affordable biochip test, our highly trained staff can check a blood sample for a wide range of health problems. This single and highly accurate test acts as a valuable early warning system. It encourages
the person involved in the test to visit their GP as quickly as possible. “The test result can be provided within minutes of the sample being taken. Checkme can help to prevent illness by pinpointing potential problems long before symptoms often have the chance to develop,” he adds. The total testing period can be as little as 20 minutes and depending on the test required, results can be provided either almost immediately in the form of a comprehensive report or through secure computer access at home.
The innovative service will be rolled steadily in the UK and Ireland over the next few months and then extended to other international markets. The company has already had approaches from North America and India to set up Checkme centres.
In recent years the popularity and growth within online comparisons sites has revolutionised the way people go about their business. This ever expanding industry has become so diverse that today consumers can compare loans, mortgages, credit cards and home/car insurance, with the consumer benefiting every time!
The newest comparison site in town is
FreightCostCompare.com and it is set to revolutionise how importers and exporters tender for their freight requirements.
As an island economy, freight forwarding is paramount to successful and competitive business services as well as subsequent economic growth. As we know both Northern and Southern Ireland have suffered greatly from the recent recession and forecasters predict a long road to recovery. There is a strong emphasis being placed on Northern Irish companies to increase their competitiveness and one of the most effective ways of doing this is by reducing costly overheads.
For exporters and importers the arrival of Freight Cost Compare may well prove a significant economic blessing.
Freight Cost Compare has been recently established by Alan and Stephen Campbell, previously of Campbell Freight Agencies. Stephen explained, “Freight Cost Compare is a facility through which importers and exporters can gain quick, easy and free access to the most competitive freight prices from leading logistic providers.”
With their teams vast experience within the freight industry Freight Cost Compare have registered a selection of quality and well established logistics providers, many of whom are members of this Chamber.
Invest NI has provided assistance to the business and in welcoming the launch of Freight Cost Compare, Invest NI's George McKinney said 'Invest NI is keen to promote service businesses that are innovative and can increase the productivity in Northern Ireland through exports. There is an opportunity for Freight Cost Compare to establish a strong presence in the Irish market and beyond, and I would encourage their efforts to extend their reach into these markets'. Within the economic uncertainty which lies ahead and the turbulent times which we find ourselves in, cost cutting has become a major strategy for many organisations.
Stephen Campbell said, “We firmly believe that
FreightCostCompare.com has been launched at a critical time in the economyʼs recovery and may well just be the smartest way forward for those businesses who value every pound or euro in their pockets.” For additional information, check out
www.freightcostcompare.com
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