SuperValu wins big at Blás na hÉireann Awards
Ireland’s largest grocery retailer, took home a massive 119 Blás Na hÉireann awards at the virtual awards ceremony this week.
SuperValu Own Brand and its exclusive brand producers picked up 53 awards– winning 14 Gold, 23 Silver and 16 bronze.
SuperValu Signature Tastes won 27 top-tier awards; the highest number of top tier awards won by any supermarket. In addition, SuperValu’s Food Academy producers picked up 66 awards – 21 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze.
ABOUT BLAS NA HEIREANN AWARDS
This is the 13th year of the Blas na hEireann awards which are recognised as the biggest annual competition for quality Irish produce across the island of Ireland. The Blas awards are the biggest blind tasting of produce in the country, and the criteria on which the product is judged as well as the judging system itself, which was developed by Blas na hEireann with the Food Science Dept. of UCC, is now recognised as an international industry standard.
The prestigious awards recognise and celebrate the very best in Irish food and drink and SuperValu’s continued success at the awards, with over 573 accolades in the last five years alone, shows the commitment SuperValu has to the very best quality Irish food.
Now in its 13th year, the Blás Na hÉireann awards is the biggest annual competition for quality Irish produce across the island of Ireland with thousands of products entered hoping to win Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards across 100 food and drink categories. Ray Kelly, Interim Managing Director, SuperValu said,
“2020 has been another excellent year for SuperValu at the Blás Na hÉireann awards with a total of 119 awards; including 66 awards for our Food Academy producers. At SuperValu we are committed to supporting more Irish food producers than any other retailer and in delivering the best quality products for our customers, over 75% of products on SuperValu shelves are sourced or produced in Ireland. It’s been another great year for our local producers and at a time when we are encouraging the country to shop local it is great to support and stock these award-winning brands and see them receive the recognition they deserve.”
SuperValu is committed to supplying customers with unrivalled, quality Irish products across its award-winning own brand range and Food Academy and winning 119 of the coveted Blás na hÉireann is proof of that. The SuperValu Own Brand awards this year included; the SuperValu Hazelnut Praline Éclair, SuperValu 48 Hour Marinated Irish Rotisserie Chicken, SuperValu Gourmet Sausage Roll with Honey & Mustard, SuperValu Cowboy Steak from the Butcher Counter and SuperValu Hi – Protein Bread, which all took home Gold Awards.
SuperValu Food Academy is a unique food business development programme between SuperValu, Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). Participants in the programme receive training in market research and branding, food safety, marketing, finance and business development. Food Academy producers have sold a combined €140 million of produce in SuperValu since 2014, supporting 1,500 jobs in the economy. To date, 620 producers have come through the programme, with 272 producers currently enrolled in the programme.
