Offaly company wins at irish food awards

Offaly company The Wild Irish Foragers & Preservers took a trip that was well worth it last weekend.

The Shinrone company travelled to Dingle in Kerry, and won a bronze award for its wild blackberry shrub in the oils, seasonings, dressings and vinegars category of the acclaimed Blas na h-Eireann Irish Food Awards.

The Wild Irish Foragers and Preservers’ product was selected a winner by a panel of 350 judges, and was chosen from a huge entry of more than 2,000 products from across the country at what is the largest annual gathering of Irish food producers.

It and other winners across 93 categories were announced at the annual Dingle Peninsula Food and Festival last Saturday evening.

The win looks likely to lead to other opportunities for the local company too.

“Winning at Blas has been proven to open doors for producers whether they are looking to get established or whether they are trying to expand into new markets and develop their product range,” chairman of the awards Artie Clifford said this week.