Last year, Irish Country Living, along with Dunnes Stores Simply Better brand ambassador Neven Maguire, visited Connemara Hill Lamb farmer Martin Kerrigan for the Carpool in the Country video series. They arrived to learn the secret behind the unique flavour and texture of his PGI (Protected Geographical Indicator) status lamb. This lamb, along with other Connacht-based food products, are exclusively found in the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection.
You can visit the Irish Country Living Facebook page to watch the Carpool in the Country series and learn more about how Connemara Hill Lamb is produced.
This time, we’re meeting two other Dunnes Stores Simply Better suppliers who call Connacht home: The Foods of Athenry, who supply Simply Better Granolas and Oliver Carty, who provide a number of organic herbs, spices and spice blends for the Simply Better Collection.
Siobhan Lawless, owner of The Foods of Athenry, has been in business for 16 years and has been supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection since 2013.
Her road to success hasn’t always been smooth, but her ability to overcome hardship and adapt to changing markets has helped pave the way. Having a working relationship with the Simply Better team has been a highlight for her and the partnership is something she cherishes.
Simply Better Handmade Granola is produced by Siobhan Lawless and her Co Galway business, The Foods of Athenry.
“To me, the [Simply Better] brand is about quality, consistency, consumer enjoyment, heritage and provenance. But at its core is quality and customer experience,” she says. “For someone like me, who has similar beliefs, it’s like a match made in heaven.”
Siobhan and her team at The Foods of Athenry exclusively supply the Simply Better range with two granolas: the Irish Handmade Roasted Nut and Seed Granola and the Irish Handmade Red Berry Granola. During the holiday season, you likely indulge in their Handmade All-Butter Mince Pies, or purchase a jar of their mincemeat. She says there are a few new items we can expect to see in the coming months.
“Launching in September, we’ll have two new mueslis,” she says. “A fruit and nut, and a nut and seed. We do everything very much by hand, which is in line with the Simply Better ethos in regards to provenance and heritage.”
In 2011, before she started supplying the Simply Better collection, Siobhan and the business were recovering from a devastating fire, which had engulfed one of their production facilities.
Before, The Foods of Athenry would have produced both free-from and regular products. After the fire and their rebuild, she felt the focus of her business brand should be mainly on the free-from product line.
“By 2012, the ‘wheaty’ business was basically done,” she explains. “We had been off-shelf for almost a year (because of the fire) and it would have been too hard to get back into it. We decided to focus our attention on the gluten-free, but we still had the wheaty bakery and that was when the Dunnes Stores partnership came in to play.”
By producing for the Simply Better range, Siobhan says they have consistent, reliable orders to work with – which helped during lockdown, when other areas of food service were put on hold.
“It’s been a joy and a privilege to have worked with the team over the last number of years,” she says.
“The way they do business with their suppliers is honest. You feel valued at their table – and those nuanced sort of feelings are sometimes hard to explain. If you don’t know what you’re doing, they will take you by the hand and lead you a bit more slowly. In times of uncertainty those sales were relatively certain, like during lockdown.”
Chef and brand ambassador Neven Maguire often mentions the Simply Better range of organic herb and spice blends in his recipes and videos (which you can watch on Neven’s Instagram feed or on the Simply Better Facebook page), and these spice blends are all made at Oliver Carty, Athlone, Co Roscommon.
Originally specialising in pork and bacon processing, in 2013 the family-run business introduced VOA Foods for value-added items like glazes, marinades, stuffings and rubs. In late 2018, they bought the Organic Herb Company (Ohco) which had previously launched three herb and spice blends for the Simply Better collection. The original Ohco owners, Michael Martin and Paul Pritchard, remain heavily involved in the company in the area of innovation and product development. VOA Foods sales manager Loretto Kiernan says it all came together at the right time, for all parties involved.
Athlone-based Oliver Carty supply the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range with a line of 12 100% organic spices, herbs and seasoning blends.
“Originally, the products were garlic and herb seasoning, sea salt with organic herbs and spicy pepper and herb. They were the original products [with] Simply Better, before our partnership. A further nine products went live in 2018, with a total of twelve products now, in partnership with VOA Foods and Ohco.”
Among other items, Oliver Carty supplies the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection with a cajun spice blend, garlic granules, mild curry, harissa spice blend, cinnamon, oregano, thyme and turmeric. All are 100% organic. In true Simply Better style, worlds collided in 2019 when they also took on Clogherhead Sea Salt (which can be found in Simply Better Hand Cooked Crisps and Simply Better Handmade Waterford Blaa).
“We took on the packing of and distribution of Simply Better Oriel Sea Salt on behalf of Clogherhead Sea Salt,” Loretto says. “It’s pure partnership. All we’re doing, really, is packing and sending it in for them.”
Simply Better Brand Ambassador Neven Maguire with Paul and Michael (Ohco) and Sarah and Triona (NPD and VOA Foods).
The real difference in the Simply Better range of spices and herbs, besides the fact that they are organic, is the freshness of the product. Ireland is not a spice-producing country; we have always had to import most herbs and spices for culinary use.
Oliver Carty has direct connections with organic spice distributors in France and Germany. Once their orders are received, they allow just three weeks to have their spices, herbs and blends packaged and sent on to Dunnes Stores.
“This ensures maximum freshness,” Loretto says. “We produce to order. Athlone is quite central; it’s the perfect base for nationwide distribution.”
As for their relationship with Dunnes Stores Simply Better, Loretto says working with such an innovative team open to different ideas has been extremely positive.
“You’d have no problem getting to anyone, they’re so accessible,” she says. “It’s a great partnership. It’s never ‘no’ – it’s all about timing. We had the Simply Better team down with Neven and we had a great time thrashing out ideas. Everything had to be put on hold with COVID-19, otherwise we would have launched some new products – but they’re still coming.”
Last year, Irish Country Living, along with Dunnes Stores Simply Better brand ambassador Neven Maguire, visited Connemara Hill Lamb farmer Martin Kerrigan for the Carpool in the Country video series. They arrived to learn the secret behind the unique flavour and texture of his PGI (Protected Geographical Indicator) status lamb. This lamb, along with other Connacht-based food products, are exclusively found in the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection.
You can visit the Irish Country Living Facebook page to watch the Carpool in the Country series and learn more about how Connemara Hill Lamb is produced.
This time, we’re meeting two other Dunnes Stores Simply Better suppliers who call Connacht home: The Foods of Athenry, who supply Simply Better Granolas and Oliver Carty, who provide a number of organic herbs, spices and spice blends for the Simply Better Collection.
Siobhan Lawless, owner of The Foods of Athenry, has been in business for 16 years and has been supplying the Dunnes Stores Simply Better Collection since 2013.
Her road to success hasn’t always been smooth, but her ability to overcome hardship and adapt to changing markets has helped pave the way. Having a working relationship with the Simply Better team has been a highlight for her and the partnership is something she cherishes.
Simply Better Handmade Granola is produced by Siobhan Lawless and her Co Galway business, The Foods of Athenry.
“To me, the [Simply Better] brand is about quality, consistency, consumer enjoyment, heritage and provenance. But at its core is quality and customer experience,” she says. “For someone like me, who has similar beliefs, it’s like a match made in heaven.”
Siobhan and her team at The Foods of Athenry exclusively supply the Simply Better range with two granolas: the Irish Handmade Roasted Nut and Seed Granola and the Irish Handmade Red Berry Granola. During the holiday season, you likely indulge in their Handmade All-Butter Mince Pies, or purchase a jar of their mincemeat. She says there are a few new items we can expect to see in the coming months.
“Launching in September, we’ll have two new mueslis,” she says. “A fruit and nut, and a nut and seed. We do everything very much by hand, which is in line with the Simply Better ethos in regards to provenance and heritage.”
In 2011, before she started supplying the Simply Better collection, Siobhan and the business were recovering from a devastating fire, which had engulfed one of their production facilities.
Before, The Foods of Athenry would have produced both free-from and regular products. After the fire and their rebuild, she felt the focus of her business brand should be mainly on the free-from product line.
“By 2012, the ‘wheaty’ business was basically done,” she explains. “We had been off-shelf for almost a year (because of the fire) and it would have been too hard to get back into it. We decided to focus our attention on the gluten-free, but we still had the wheaty bakery and that was when the Dunnes Stores partnership came in to play.”
By producing for the Simply Better range, Siobhan says they have consistent, reliable orders to work with – which helped during lockdown, when other areas of food service were put on hold.
“It’s been a joy and a privilege to have worked with the team over the last number of years,” she says.
“The way they do business with their suppliers is honest. You feel valued at their table – and those nuanced sort of feelings are sometimes hard to explain. If you don’t know what you’re doing, they will take you by the hand and lead you a bit more slowly. In times of uncertainty those sales were relatively certain, like during lockdown.”
Chef and brand ambassador Neven Maguire often mentions the Simply Better range of organic herb and spice blends in his recipes and videos (which you can watch on Neven’s Instagram feed or on the Simply Better Facebook page), and these spice blends are all made at Oliver Carty, Athlone, Co Roscommon.
Originally specialising in pork and bacon processing, in 2013 the family-run business introduced VOA Foods for value-added items like glazes, marinades, stuffings and rubs. In late 2018, they bought the Organic Herb Company (Ohco) which had previously launched three herb and spice blends for the Simply Better collection. The original Ohco owners, Michael Martin and Paul Pritchard, remain heavily involved in the company in the area of innovation and product development. VOA Foods sales manager Loretto Kiernan says it all came together at the right time, for all parties involved.
Athlone-based Oliver Carty supply the Dunnes Stores Simply Better range with a line of 12 100% organic spices, herbs and seasoning blends.
“Originally, the products were garlic and herb seasoning, sea salt with organic herbs and spicy pepper and herb. They were the original products [with] Simply Better, before our partnership. A further nine products went live in 2018, with a total of twelve products now, in partnership with VOA Foods and Ohco.”
Among other items, Oliver Carty supplies the Dunnes Stores Simply Better collection with a cajun spice blend, garlic granules, mild curry, harissa spice blend, cinnamon, oregano, thyme and turmeric. All are 100% organic. In true Simply Better style, worlds collided in 2019 when they also took on Clogherhead Sea Salt (which can be found in Simply Better Hand Cooked Crisps and Simply Better Handmade Waterford Blaa).
“We took on the packing of and distribution of Simply Better Oriel Sea Salt on behalf of Clogherhead Sea Salt,” Loretto says. “It’s pure partnership. All we’re doing, really, is packing and sending it in for them.”
Simply Better Brand Ambassador Neven Maguire with Paul and Michael (Ohco) and Sarah and Triona (NPD and VOA Foods).
The real difference in the Simply Better range of spices and herbs, besides the fact that they are organic, is the freshness of the product. Ireland is not a spice-producing country; we have always had to import most herbs and spices for culinary use.
Oliver Carty has direct connections with organic spice distributors in France and Germany. Once their orders are received, they allow just three weeks to have their spices, herbs and blends packaged and sent on to Dunnes Stores.
“This ensures maximum freshness,” Loretto says. “We produce to order. Athlone is quite central; it’s the perfect base for nationwide distribution.”
As for their relationship with Dunnes Stores Simply Better, Loretto says working with such an innovative team open to different ideas has been extremely positive.
“You’d have no problem getting to anyone, they’re so accessible,” she says. “It’s a great partnership. It’s never ‘no’ – it’s all about timing. We had the Simply Better team down with Neven and we had a great time thrashing out ideas. Everything had to be put on hold with COVID-19, otherwise we would have launched some new products – but they’re still coming.”
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