Ulster Bank supports local food companies

As principal sponsors of the Show, Ulster Bank is working in partnership with artisanNI to profile the very best new companies which are emerging from Northern Ireland’s thriving food and drink scene.

Having pledged its support for the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink 2016 initiative, Ulster Bank is working collaboratively with artisanNI in order to give local food and drink producers the opportunity to exhibit at Northern Ireland’s largest agri-food event, putting them in front of the tens of thousands of visitors who will attend the show across the three days.

Attendees to the show can sample produce from a host of exciting food and drink companies including luxury artisan chocolate producer the Chocolate Manor; healthy drinks company Panacea Drinks and treat company Moditions Gluten Free bakery, who provide a range of alternative baked goods which are all gluten free.

Mark Crimmins, Regional Director, Business Banking with Ulster Bank, welcomed the opportunities presented by working with Artisan NI, saying: “2016 is a very exciting time for the agri-food industry in Northern Ireland and we as a bank want to let food and drink producers know that we are here to lend support and guidance across the sector from the small, start-up companies right the way through to our largest and most successful businesses and exporters.

“Alongside artisanNI, we have been working closely with food and drink companies who have been enrolled at the Entrepreneurial Spark Hatchery in Belfast and are thrilled that they will also have the opportunity to showcase their fantastic products to the thousands of people who flock to the Show annually. I would encourage all visitors to Balmoral to come along to the Ulster Bank marquee and see first-hand the exciting products these companies are offering.”

The Balmoral Show is a huge date in the diary for food and drink companies throughout Northern Ireland and as this is Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink, their presence at the Show in 2016 is expected to be even greater.

artisanNI representative Jenna Stevenson said: “We have a fantastic array of food and drinks companies in Northern Ireland and I’m pleased that Ulster Bank are recognising their value and providing smaller, artisan suppliers with more opportunities to get their products in front of consumers.

“Each year at the Balmoral Show there is a tremendous buzz among the food and drink companies and visitors are eager to sample the local products on offer. I’m positive that with the continued support from organisations like the Ulster Bank, the success being enjoyed in our local food scene will be sustained for many years to come and continue to boost our local economy in turn.”

Complete Balmoral Show artisanNI producers schedule: Neary Nogs – Chocolate; Squeeze Wheatgrass; The Local Jams Chutneys; The Gluten Free Patisserie; Tully Farm – Meat Producer; Camran Crafts Marshmallows; Burren Balsamics; Deli Muru – Chutneys; Moditions Gluten Free; Our Daily Wheaten Bread; Chocolate Manor; Eleanor Craigs Fudge; Habanero Steves – Hot Sauces; Wee Choco; Panacea Drinks; Blackfire Sauecs; Sea Sugar – Boiled Sweets; Hollah BBQ Sauces.