Bringing home the bacon

By Maria Moynihan

Loughnane's of Galway have long been associated with good food. And with their new range of quality-assured sausages, the family business is set to sizzle.

I've never had much of a thirst for Guinness. But after sampling the new Irish stout and leek sausage by Loughnane's of Galway, I could be converted.

The sausage is among a portfolio of products to carry the first Bord Bia Quality Assurance stamp of approval. And for the Loughnane family - founders Sean and Ann and sons Eoin and Daire - it is but their latest initiative in bringing quality Irish food to the consumer.

Quality First

The Loughnane name has been synonymous with excellence in Galway for many years. Sean, who is originally from Loughrea, can trace the family butchering trade back to 1904. Recipes were inherited through the years, along with a respect for good, local produce.

"The one thing we always worked on was quality," explains Sean. "I was reared to that. I'm 55, but 50 years making puddings."

Indeed, the shop that he and wife Ann opened on Dominick St in 1975 often had queues out the door.

In 1983, they bought a farm in Oranmore, where they fattened their own beef. They were also pioneers in the general grocery trade, with an award-winning specialist food hall in Foster Court and did hot Sunday lunches "to go" before it was ever heard of.

However, the pressure of working 24/7 forced Sean and Ann to re-think the future of the business. They decided to sell off their shops and concentrate on producing sausages and puddings. Son Eoin, a Ballymaloe-trained chef, came in on Product Development, joined later by commerce graduate Daire in Sales and Marketing. However, growing demand necessitated a larger facility and, last year, Loughnane's moved to a state of the art 30,000 sq ft plant on the Tuam Rd.

Sausage Assurance

While you might not have heard of Loughnane's of Galway, there's a good chance you've eaten their award-winning produce.

With 65% of business coming from the food service sector, the company supplies wholesale distributors such as Pallas Foods in hotels, cafés, canteens and butcher shops nationwide.

The balance of their business is in retail, boasting contracts with Shaws, Galtee, NCF, Roscrea and O'Donovan's. What the customer wants, the customer gets: be it a standard cocktail sausage or a seaweed creation for the likes of Low Tide.

However, the Loughnane family now feel it's time to put their name back on the shelves. And as the first producers to be awarded the newly-extended Bord Bia Quality Assurance mark for sausages, they hope their new "Loughnane's of Galway" line will soon be in frying pans nationwide.

100% Irish

Loughnane's of Galway is a nostalgic, quality range of craft sausages, based on the original Dominick St recipes. Made using only Irish pork, there is a minimum meat content of 80% and natural ingredients.

At the moment, there are only two flavours - premium sausage or Irish leek and stout - but many more to come if successful. And the Bord Bia Quality Assurance mark has certainly been a coup for the fledgling brand.

"We believe that within Galway, putting our own brand on it would give people comfort that it's a quality product. But outside Galway, once the quality assurance goes on it, it just gives people peace of mind," explains Daire. "It kind of raises the bar on most of the sausages on the market at the moment. It's from Galway, it's Irish and it's produced the way it should be."

Loughnane's have also earned the Quality Assurance mark for sausages made under contract for The Black Farmer, now available at Tesco and in Superquinn stores from September. "As far as I know, we're the only company in the country who's got a portfolio of products with the logo on it," says Daire.

The Loughnane's range is currently available in Tesco and Dunnes Stores in Galway and distributors nationwide. However, they hope their product will make an impact on the consumer.

"We think the product will stand on its own two feet in terms of quality. I suppose our own aspiration would be to get national listings with all the multiples. It's a long way down the road, but I think consumers want a product like this," says Daire.

Loughnane Legacy

But building the Loughnane brand anew is up to Daire and Eoin. While Sean and Ann are still involved in the business, they are happy to hand the reins to the next generation. "You know, we have a manager here now and I remember him coming into the shop in a go-cart. It's amazing," says Sean. "Life goes on, and we were lucky that the two lads have the interest in the business."

And it looks like the Loughnane legacy is in good hands.

"We all come from farming stock, so we appreciate the land and all the steps it takes to make food," says Eoin. "We know nothing more than making quality food."