It’s a family affair
Ballymaloe is an Irish household name that is synonymous with quality, authenticity and style. Maev Martin talks to
Maxine Hyde, general manager of Ballymaloe Foods, part of this multi-generational and matriarchal enterprise, about her plans for the food company’s range of condiments for the coming year.
Ballymaloe Foods entered the pasta sauces category a few years ago and over the past year they have brought new sauces to the market, including their Hidden Veggies variety for children, a Mediterranean Vegetable pasta sauce, and the family value Bolognese sauces. “These have all performed well over the past year,” says Maxine. “Since the onset of Covid-19, it has been a good time for pasta sauces and for good quality Irish products and we tick those boxes.” The Ballymaloe Mayo brand was launched in the market 18 months ago
and is now well established in the mayonnaise category. “We are seeing good increases in sales here too, albeit off a small base, and it
has a lot of growth potential,” she says. “It was a slow starter, but we always have slow starts in Ballymaloe Foods as we don’t have big marketing budgets, but our brand is now embedded in the mayonnaise category.”
Ballymaloe is ranked third in our Top 5 brands within the Salad Accompaniments category of Checkout’s Top 100 Brands 2021, in association with Nielsen, retaining its third- place position from last year. This category covers mayonnaise, salad cream and salad dressing product classes, and the Nielsen data reveals that Ballymaloe Mayo has grown by 77% year-on-year, while its salad dressing has grown by 21% compared to last year.
However, it is their Ballymaloe Relish, which is sold to both the retail and foodservice sectors, that is the mainstay of the
food brand. “Our relish got a huge boost in the retail sector last year and that was great to see,” says Hyde.
“We are now driving back into the foodservice market, as we want to see our Original Relish range in as many Irish restaurants as possible. We are also driving the growth of this range in the UK. Again, it is off a small base, but we are seeing good growth,and we plan to really drive it as a retail
product in that market. Over the past year, we have introduced a Fiery Relish, adding to the range of relishes that we have beyond our
Original Relish, and that is something we will continue to do in the future. “We are currently working on a brand refresh across our sauces, relishes andmayonnaise ranges. Given that we have so many products and that we are cross category, we feel that we need to introduce a uniformity
to their appearance to reinforce the message that, although they are in different categories, that they are all part of one food company.”
The Ballymaloe brand
That company, Ballymaloe Foods, was founded in 1990 by Maxine’s mother, Yasmin Hyde, daughter of Irish Michelin Star winning chef Myrtle Allen. She identified a gap in the market for a great tasting, natural and versatile Irish-made condiment. As a teenager, Maxine Hyde worked for her mum at
Ballymaloe Foods. “I worked in the hotel and restaurant and my experience working in the restaurant, which is the original Ballymaloe first
generation business, gave me a goodgrounding in Ballymaloe’s core values,” she says. “I then completed the Ballymaloecookery course and a degree in commerce at University College Cork before heading straight into the Ballymaloe Foods business.
At that time, the company was very production based, which meant that we had areally good product but there was no one to
market it, so I joined the business in 2008 to take on that role.” The Ballymaloe brand is well known, but given that it incorporates the food company,cookery school and restaurant, there is bound to be potential for confusion among consumers. “A few years ago we had an
incident where a group of people were driving to visit Ballymaloe and they headed for west Cork,” she says.
“They called into Scally’s SuperValuClonakilty and asked them where Ballymaloewas. The store assistant pointed them in the
direction of our relish on the supermarket shelves, but they were looking for the hotel!
However, it was a humorous incident rather than something problematic. We are one family with separate businesses, but we all
have the same values of quality, good service and simplicity, and that is why customers trust the Ballymaloe name.”
Moving away from plastics Ballymaloe Foods are verified members of Origin Green and are justifiably proud of the fact that they have taken 1.3 million tonnes of plastic out of their supply chain in 18 months. Over the past year, they have moved their single serve pasta sauces from a soft plastic
pouch and put them into a fully recyclable glass bottle. In addition, Ballymaloe Foods only uses recyclable material for all products delivered via its online shop, which was launched in October 2020.
“Our aim is to cut our plastic output by10% per annum and in 2019 we were 39%ahead of our annual targets,” she says.
“Originally packed and sold in non-recyclable soft plastic pouches, our stir in pasta sauces are now packed and sold in 100% recyclable
glass jars, which has removed 1.3 tonnes of plastic from our supply chain in the first 18 months of production. At Ballymaloe Foods, we are fiercely committed to reducing the level of unnecessary waste within the company. 80% of input packaging is currently recycled and 95% of output packaging is recyclable. Within the last five years, we contacted all of our suppliers to encouragethem to reduce unnecessary packaging sent with raw materials.”
When it comes to reducing energy and water consumption, Ballymaloe Foods reduced its electricity consumption by 12.5% between
2014 and 2019, and they capture and recycle water, which is used to steam all of their jarsbefore filling them with their products.
“We have also put controls in place to ensure water is not needlessly wasted,” says Hyde. “By taking these steps, we consistently exceed our target of reducing our overall water usage by 10% each year.” The company has also installed LED lighting in its facility in Little Island, Co Cork, and solar panels to reduce its reliance on non- renewable energy sources.
Social responsibility & biodiversity
Supporting local charities, clubs and schools, whether it is local or national initiatives, is hugely important to Ballymaloe Foods. “We are privileged to be associated with wonderfulpeople, many of them working with incredible charities,” says Hyde. “In recent years, we
have supported The Marie Keating Foundation and the Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund. We provide food donations to Food Cloud and Penny Dinners and we frequently support local and national charity events and flag days with hampers and products.”
The company also makes regular product donations to Food Cloud and, to date, they have donated approximately 26,001 meals
(4,762 in 2020). “Food waste is a huge social and environmental issue that contributes massively to carbon emission,” she says.
“Through our partnership with Food Cloud, we are working to decrease the negative impacts of food waste.”
With one third of our bee species threatenedwith extinction from Ireland, Ballymaloe Foodsare determined to play their part in reducingthe risk to our bees by being active members of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan. “We have givenseed bombs to all of our staff for use at homeand in the countryside, and we are currently looking at creating ‘Bee Safe’ spaces in ourlocal community,” says Maxine. “Ballymaloe
Foods is always a hive of activity – and we’re committed to creating an environment where pollinators can survive and thrive.” The
company also works with the non-profit organisation 8 Billion Trees, whose goal is tofuel positive environmental change through the conservation and planting of trees. Through the partnership, Ballymaloe Foods have conserved 3,000 trees and planted an additional 300.
Supporting local
While Covid-19 gave the Ballymaloe Foods business a big retail boost, its food serviceoperation, which constituted a third of theirbusiness pre-Covid-19, shrunk to a small amount in a matter of weeks. “We really hopeto get that market back soon as we have great customers and distribution partners in thatsector,” says Maxine.
Love Irish Food
BALLYMALOE FOODS JOINED Love Irish Food when the organisation was established in 2009. “We were in a dire situation
as sterling had weakened overnight and Irish food products were massively exposed,” says Hyde. “Suddenly we were competing
with products that were much cheaper, the recession had hit, andpeople were shopping a lot in Northern Ireland. Against that
backdrop, Love Irish Food acted quickly to create a support network for Irish-produced food and drink brands.
“From our point of view, it became a place to go to for support, and to interact with other wonderful Irish brands. Ballymaloe
Foods is a small company. We are producing a high quality product in relatively small volumes in Ireland, where there is a high cost base, we are competing on shelf against international brands that have a cheaper cost base, and we have limited marketing budgets. Therefore, getting in front of customers and telling them about our product is a challenge when you are working with small marketing budgets.
That is where membership of the Love Irish Food organisation is so beneficial. I can ask other marketing managers questions and seek advice. Love Irish Food has given me a lot of support as a business person and the organisation continues to support our business in terms of marketing, promotion and the Love Irish Food events.”
A lot of new brands have joined Love Irish Food this year,including Glenisk, Cuisine de France, Glenhaven, Tayto Snacks,
Promise Gluten Free, and Gallagher’s Bakehouse. Would Maxine actively encourage other food brands to sign up? “Absolutely! There is great power in coming together anddoing things as a group and meeting up around events to support and advise each other.”
“Our online shop experienced big sales inNovember and December and a spike aroundSt Patrick’s Day. Without Covid, we wouldn’t have experienced online as a key part of our business, but it really took off for us.However, supermarkets are, and will remain, our main sales channel.
“The support local movement has becomeincreasingly important over the last year and a half and, as a result, people are recognising just how many good value quality products are available in Ireland and that has been really beneficial for the economy. During that time, our business was active on social media, promoting those restaurants using local Irishproducts, as well as Ballymaloe products. As an industry, we need to constantly encourageour customers to get out and spend money with Irish producers.”
What guidance would she give to a new business in the branded food market? “A quality and unique product is essential,” she
says. “Then start with a small customer base, unless you have a lot of funds to launch a big
marketing campaign. If you start with a small selection of stores, it is less difficult to get off the ground, and it is easier to catch any issues
with your product. Last, but not least, you have to put your heart and soul into marketing that product, as it won’t sell itself
when it reaches the supermarket shelves!”
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2022 will be a big year for Plant-It as the company secures listings with major retailers in the US, the UK, Finland and Ireland and has its sights set on entering new markets in Germany and the Middle East. The company’s chief executive officer, NOREEN GALLAGHER, formerly of Unilever, McCain, Nike and Glanbia, talks to Maev Martin about the plantbased opportunity.
Plant-It launched its American business at the Plant-Based World Conference and Expo in New York in December. “We had an overwhelmingly positive response to our brand and product range at the show, and we are currently expanding our US team to manage the business over there,” says Noreen. The Plant-Based World Conference and Expo is the first of six international shows that the company will have a presence at over the next six months. Plant-It’s first launch in the US is due on shelf later this month. “In the UK, we are recently stocked in Morrisons and our products are available in approximately 480 of their stores, with more to follow throughout 2022,” she says.
The priority markets for Plant-It in 2022 are the US and the UK, and they are also launching in mainland Europe, Asia and the Middle East over the coming months. Noreen says that, by this time next year, they hope to have the PlantIt range selling in 15 markets worldwide. In early 2021, Plant-It launched with one retailer in Scandinavia and now have a national listing with them. “We did tastings in that market towards the end of last year and we cleared the shelves,” she says. “To be able to taste and trial products was something we missed out on in Ireland during Covid-19, so it
was great to be able to do it in the Nordics. Hopefully, we will get back to doing in store tastings in Ireland and the UK by the middle of next year.”
The Irish market remains a focus and priority for Plant-It this year, as they launch a variety of exciting new products across multiple meal occasions, as well as debuting new cardboard box packaging, pictured above. “In Ireland, as is the case in our other markets, the strategy for 2022 is all about having sufficient market distribution coverage and making our marketing spend work harder,” she says.
“Distribution is the priority, followed by brand awareness and then getting a wider range of our products listed with retailers. We are delighted to announce that we will launch with Dunnes Stores later this month and we are already listed with several key retailers in the
Irish market such as Tesco, SuperValu, Spar, Avoca and Fresh, as well as Sysco and Musgrave on the foodservice side where we
supply restaurants, cafes and schools. We have also just launched a chicken-free fillet roll in Applegreen stores nationwide. Sustainability targets and credentials are a key part of major retailers’ strategies. By supporting a brand like us they are supporting one of their own strategic pillars, so it is a win-win for us as the supplier, and for the retailer.”
A visionary team
Plant-It was founded by Declan Gallagher of Promise Gluten-Free and Gallagher’s Bakery. The business was incorporated in 2019 when Declan invited his sister, Noreen Gallagher, and Irish food entrepreneur, Tadhg Geary, to join him on the journey to make plant-based foods mainstream. Tadgh Geary and his family built Co-Limerick-based Pallas Foods before the business was acquired by Sysco
Corporation in 2009.
Plant-It have recruited a number of experienced individuals from their networks to lead out the key functions in Plant-It. Their marketing director Mark Ryan is the former marketing director of Optimum Nutrition for EMEA with Glanbia, while Plant-It commercial director Eoin Kennedy was regional director for Sysco. “And we continue to build the team out further,” says Noreen. “Most of our team members are based in Ireland with some in the US and we will be recruiting to serve our growing international ambitions during 2022.”
A career in FMCG
During her extensive and highly successful career, Plant-It CEO Noreen Gallagher has worked at senior level with some of the best
known companies in the FMCG and sporting goods industries. “I joined Unilever out of college in 1992, working in sales, marketing andcategory management roles on the personal care products side before joining McCain Foods in 1999, where I ran the Irish business,” she says.
“After three years, I joined Nike and ran their Irish business before moving to the UK with Nike and then to their European HQ in Amsterdam for a four-year stint.
I moved back to London where I worked for Nike for a further three years before joining Triumph Lingerie. I spent nearly three years there before
coming home to join Glanbia where I ran their Performance Nutrition business for Europe, the Middle East and Africa until the end of 2019. Declan and Tadhg had been talking to me about getting involved in Plant-It for some time and there was a restructuring going on in Glanbia which meant my role was moved to London, so the timing was perfect for me. Also, the opportunity in the plant-based category globally is huge, so it was too good an opportunity to miss.”
In August 2019, Declan invited Noreen to a plant-based meat replacement tasting session. “They had all their competitor products there and when I saw that the Plant-It plates were the only ones that were wiped clean I knew they were onto a winner,” she says.
Targeting the flexitarian
The market for vegan food in Ireland is growing, but Plant-It isn’t just targeting vegans. “Rather than focusing on promoting veganism, we want to bring more consumers into theplant-based category,” she says. “We know that 75% of the Irish adult population are open to meat-free once a week (Plant-It survey, January 2021) and we want to cater to that audienceand help make going plant-based more mainstream. We are targeting the growing group of flexitarian eaters and encouraging consumers to join their ranks by switching from eating meat every day to substituting one or two of their meals a week for a plant-based option.
If that happens, the growth in the plant-based food market will be phenomenal. The appetite for our product is there, but the problem in the category has been that plantbased food hasn’t tasted great, so that is why, at Plant-It, we are focused on making great-tastingfood that just happens to be plant-based. When consumers aren’t compromising on taste and quality, the world is your oyster.”
Shopping the category
Noreen points out that the category has been called ‘vegan’ or ‘vegetarian’ and Plant-It recognise that there is a movement to be more inclusive and more focused on consumers who want to get more plant-based foods into their diets. “Our products are available in supermarket freezers and during the pandemic people have spent more time in the frozen foods section in-store,” she says.
“We know that the frozen food category is in strong growth, but space is a real barrier to entry for frozen food products. As a result, we’ve installed branded ‘treezers’ in a number of stores and that has helped drive brand awareness and has added a bit of theatre to the frozen food category. Dwell time in the freezer area is low because it is so cold, so we are trying to make it a more fun and engaging space.”
While Plant-It wants to see the consumption of plant-based foods became mainstream, Noreen says that the current profile of the plant-based consumer tends to be young families and single people who are shopping for one or two people. “This is where we are seeing a lot of sales because sustainability is very importantto young children and to young adults with families,” she says.
Recent innovations
Noreen says consumers are looking for vegan or plant-based options for all meals. “In the breakfast category the demand is still around
cereals,” she says. “There aren’t many hot food options that are vegan, so we have launched our egg-free vegan omelette, which is a fantastic breakfast or brunch option. Our chicken-free product is resonating really well globally. We have just launched salt and chilli chicken strips, which are a variation on chicken goujons and nuggets, but are still a family favourite food that happens to be plant-based. “We have our burgers and we have also recently launched a fish-free goujon. Key retailers and foodservice providers in the US have told us that our fish-free goujon is the best tasting of its kind in the sector, and we got orders for it straight away from the important retailers in this space when we attended the Plant-Based World Conference & Expo in New York.”
According to Noreen, Plant-It can turn around innovations and new products very quickly at its R&D and production facility in west Dublin. “Consumers are looking for more choices, so it is important that we have that level of capability and flexibility,” she says. “We are also looking at developing product for different consumer taste profiles and expectations for Asia and the Middle East. Plant-It has carried out independent research on all its products and, based on the findings of that research, we have further improved and developed each product. For example, our chicken-free products scored very highly and our fish-free goujons and eggfree omelettes have received phenomenal responses from clients. The egg-free omelette is winning hands down as it is a completely
unique proposition.”
Brand building
Plant-It launched an outdoor campaign to promote the brand in Ireland in early 2021 and the company also works with key influencers, including Plant-It brand ambassador, model Thalia Heffernan. “Social media is hugely important for us and we spend a lot of time and energy on recipes and
suggestions on how to consume our products,” she says.
This month, Plant-It is moving to 100% recyclable cardboard packaging, which will feature a QR code on the side of the pack to allow consumers to scan and download recipes and serving suggestions from the Plant-It website. In addition, Plant-It partners with Trees on the Land to dedicate a portion of the sales from every Plant-It product to tree-planting initiatives in Ireland and the UK. To date, they have planted a whopping 20,000 native trees spread across eight locations in Ireland.
Paying a premium
Are shoppers prepared to pay a premium for plant-based? “Yes, they are because theyunderstand the benefits to their health and the sustainability aspects, but we will see this category mainstreaming as volumes increase, so the price will reduce over time and become less of a premium,” says Noreen.
“Over the past two months, we have brought our prices down in an effort to ensure that they are more in line with the meat and chicken
alternatives, as our objective is to ensure that our products are an affordable everyday eat, allowing consumers to easily swap meat for meat-free. This is making our products, and the category, more accessible to all consumers. “Apart from price, taste has been a barrier to entry for many consumers. At our production facility in Dublin, where all Plant-It products are made, we developed our own in-house texture technology, a breakthrough proprietary process that allows us to mirror the taste and texture experience of meat whilst being reassuringly plant-based.
“The third big barrier to entry for many consumers in moving to a plant-based diet has been the nutritional aspect, as there is a concern about the nutritional quality of plant-based meats. To address this, Plant-It fortify their entire range with vitamin B12, iron and calcium, and we ensure that each product is as high in protein as possible to ensure that there is no compromise on nutritionals for consumers coming into the category.”
Becoming mainstream
Retailers see the opportunity in plant-based and have been giving it more space in-store.
“The trade has been very supportive of us in terms of opening up shelf space,” says Noreen. “The fact that we are produced in Ireland,
are creating jobs and are trying to create a global business out of Ireland has impressed retailers and they give us constant feedback, which is really helpful. Retailers are giving plant-based products that extra push because they see the category growth and most of theretailers I know are very focused on growth.
They have embraced Veganuary and are promoting the category this month, but we also want to see promotional activity and innovation throughout the year. “The movement to mainstream is happening, but I think it will really take off over the next two years. By then, shopping plant-based will be a commonplace activity and consumers will see brand recognition driving category traffic.” ■
Noreen Gallagher believes that Plant-It’s membership of Love Irish Food has helped the company to establish its quality credentials and to make its sales pitch to the trade, not just in Ireland but overseas. “Love Irish Food is such a positive story and Irish consumers have always been very loyal to Irish brands that they know and trust,” she says. “Those consumers have become even more loyal to Irish businesses and to supporting local during the pandemic. When you see the
Love Irish Food logo it really resonates with the consumer and helps our product to stand out on shelf.
“We joined Love Irish Food in early 2021 and they are a great partner to work with. We were involved in an extremely innovative and successful Love Irish Food campaign with Tesco this year and there is more
lined up for 2022.” Would Noreen recommend membership of the Love Irish Food organisation to brands
looking to establish a foothold in the market? “Most definitely,” she says. “Irish food resonates globally
and our food credentials, our heritage of producing fine food, is a great selling point on the global market,
and I think consumers will continue to support Irish businesses here at home.”
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