Five Food & Drinks Producers declared 2024 Homegrown at Maxol winners

Following a nationwide search for Ireland’s finest indigenous food and drinks products, Maxol has announced that five local producers stood out from all applications and have been declared winners in its 2024 Homegrown at Maxol programme.

Now in its second year, Homegrown at Maxol was created to shine a light on Ireland’s world class artisan food and drink industry. As a fourth-generation family-owned business, Maxol wants to celebrate local food and drinks producers in Ireland who continue to operate small businesses, despite the prevailing economic challenges impacting the sector.

The Homegrown at Maxol initiative provides winning producers with the support and tools needed to help scale-up and grow their businesses, with a free listing across the Maxol store network in the Republic of Ireland, along with invaluable mentorship from leading retailers together with PR and marketing support.

The 2024 Homegrown at Maxol winners who will be championed by Maxol are:

• All Real Nutrition a highly nutritious snack bar made from quality, natural ingredients and plastic free packaging. (Co. Kerry)
• Blanco Niño, is an innovative Irish manufacturer on a mission to accelerate the transition to regenerative farming by producing world-class traditionally made tortillas and tortilla chips using ancient Aztec cooking methods. Blanco Niño’s product portfolio is gluten-free, vegan-friendly and uses no artificial ingredients. (Co. Tipperary)
• Parachute, Ireland’s first CBD-infused drink, combining premium ingredients, fruity flavours and the natural benefits of CBD in a recyclable can. (Co. Dublin)
• Convenience meal company fiid, a certified B-Corp and carbon neutral producer, that makes nutritious, plant-based bowl quick meals from vegetables that are full of natural ingredients and bursting with flavour. (Co. Dublin)
• Multi-award-winning bakery, The Foods of Athenry, producers of a range of handmade, delicious snacks, rooted in traditional production methods; baked without compromise, or gluten. (Co. Galway)
• Image attached featuring the five Homegrown at Maxol winners with podcasters James Kavanagh & William Murray on whose show, The Simpler Life, all five will feature. Maxol’s Eilis Hamilton & Pauline McCarthy also pictured.  (credit, Dylan Vaughan)

Maxol Group CEO Brian Donaldson said: “We have selected products that I know will be loved by both our retailers and our customers, and that are made by people whose sense of purpose aligns with our own values. Not only are these fantastic-tasting products but, where possible they are produced using sustainable and traditional methods, natural ingredients and eco-friendly packaging.

“What particularly impressed us about this year’s winners was the passion and love they have for their craft that was so evident from the moment we engaged with them. But what also stood out for myself and my fellow judges was the bravery of the people behind the winning products. Running a food or drinks business takes courage and enthusiasm and an incredible amount of drive, which these five producers clearly have in abundance.  At the heart of the decision-making process was not only the flavour and quality of the products, but the compelling stories behind these homegrown brands. At Maxol our aim is to offer our customers ever more high-quality products from small Irish producers and that is why Homegrown at Maxol is so important to us.”

The winning products will be available across the Maxol store network in the Republic of Ireland.  All five producers will feature on The Simpler Life Podcast with local food champions James Kavanagh and William Murray, recorded at the duo’s new home in Kilkenny, where they got to chat about and sample the winning produce.

Maxol is Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer, operating in Irish communities for more than 104 years.

And the winners are…

All Real Nutrition

Founded in 2020 in a kitchen in Farranfore, Co. Kerry, All Real Nutrition is the brainchild of Niall Harty and Ross McDowell. The duo saw the huge growth of the protein bar category in Ireland, but also saw that existing products contained artificial ingredients and sweeteners. Their aim was to make a nutritious snack bar that’s convenient, sustainable and uses only natural ingredients.  All Real Nutrition uses Irish grass-fed milk protein, Atlantic sea salt from Cork and no more than 11 real food ingredients in each bar. The bars are made in their factory in Kerry and, in addition to loving the product, the Homegrown at Maxol judges liked the ethos of the company and its values, which are founded on honesty and integrity. The plastic-free and home-compostable wrappers are made from plant-based materials and decompose in 26 weeks. All Real Nutrition was awarded ‘Best New Functional Food or Beverage’ at the NPE West NEXTY Awards in USA and was a finalist in the Natural & Organics Show in London, for ‘Best New Fitness Nutrition Product’. Maxol customers in selected stores can now enjoy All Real Nutrition bars including Almond & Vanilla, Peanut Butter and Choc Sea Salt, which is their top seller. Website link

Blanco Niño

Blanco Niño was founded by Phil Martin (affectionately known as ‘Blanco Niño’), who grew up on an organic farm in Dublin.  Driven by a passion for food and frustration at the lack of quality corn tortillas in Europe, Phil embarked on a journey to Mexico to learn the art of traditional tortilla making. This journey culminated in establishing the Blanco Niño Tortilleria in Tipperary in 2015, and now sees the brand selling across 17 European markets. The rest, as they say, is history. From slow-cooked, whole, regeneratively farmed non-GMO corn, Blanco Niño’s tortillas are gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and contain no artificial ingredients. Using an ancient method known as nixtamalisation to produce world-class, traditionally made tortillas and tortilla chips, Phil and his team supply some of the leading Mexican restaurants across Europe. With appealing, fully recyclable packaging and eight Great Taste awards, Maxol customers can enjoy four Blanco Niño flavours; Lightly Salted, Chilli & Lime, Smoky Chipotle and the newest tangy flavour in the range, Creamy Jalapeño. Website link

fiid

Shane Ryan founded fiid – pronounced ‘feed’ – in 2019 in a bid to make dinner a less stressful experience and midweek meals less boring. Shane’s mission was to create quick and easy meals, made naturally using healthy ingredients, with no artificial flavours, that also tasted delicious. Based in Grangegorman Smithfield, Dublin, fiid upgrades the classics, such as curries and ragus, to create wholesome, plant-based meal bowls that are ready in seconds.

fiid crafts a range of versatile meal bowls – think delicious, natural, wholefood dishes like chillies and curries but without the mess or prep it takes to cook them from scratch. Bursting with flavour and delivering two of your five a day in an ambient pouch format, fiid’s veggie bowls are the perfect solution for busy commuters. A certified B Corp, the highest scoring in Ireland, fiid is a carbon neutral company with the company’s meal donations feeding 400 children in Mazangoza School in Malawi daily. Already recognised for its wide range of meal solutions, selected Maxol stores will offer customers the fiid range of six meals including Smoky Black Bean Chilli Bowl, Sundried Tomato & Lentil Ragu Bowl and Lentil & Sweet Potato Curry Bowl.  Website link

Parachute

Parachute was created by four busy Dublin friends, Dan Gleeson, Harrison Altman, Alan Shubotham and Justin Kilduff, who noticed a gap in the market for a non-alcoholic beverage that helps combat stress and anxiety. Parachute launched Ireland’s first CBD drink in February 2020 and, weathering the stress of Covid, they thrived during and after the pandemic, emerging with a loyal customer base. Their carefully curated range of CBD-infused soft drinks, produced in Mullingar, combine premium ingredients with the natural benefits of CBD to create a transformative drinking experience. Vegan and gluten free, the slightly sparkling Parachute range contains natural fruit flavourings and 10mg of CBD in every can.

Maxol customers can pick up the three exciting flavours in Parachute’s calming CBD-infused drinks range in a 250ml recyclable can- zesty Lemon & Juniper, tangy Pomegranate & Lime and an invigorating blend of Apple & Ginger. Website link

The Foods of Athenry

This multi-award-winning business based in Athenry, Co. Galway was born 20 years ago, when this farming family decided to close its dairy farm. The Lawless family repurposed the farm buildings into a bakery, starting off by making brown bread and scones. As founder and managing director Siobhan Lawless says, “In bringing up our own family, we firmly believed that good food promotes good health.” So it wasn’t long before the Lawless’ identified a gap in the market for handmade, delicious, gluten-free and/or vegan snacks with recipes and production methods rooted in tradition.  Having rebuilt the business following a fire at the company’s new gluten free facilities in 2011, the Lawless family’s business story is one of perseverance and passion. And the rewards have followed. The Foods of Athenry has amassed more than 100 awards for its range of cookies, crackers, snack bars, cakes, cereals and Christmas specialities, baked from scratch using original recipes and natural ingredients.

Maxol stores will stock a selection of The Foods of Athenry’s delicious snacks like the Fully Loaded Granola Bar, Caramel Rocky Road Biscuit Bar, and the morish Honeycomb Rocky Road Biscuit Bar. Website link