Waterford organic producers shortlisted for national awards
Founded in 2016, Waterford Distillery is taking a new approach to Irish whisky.
Shortlist celebrates 19 organic food and drink producers from around Ireland in seven categories Bord Bia has announced the shortlist of organic food and drink producers for the National Organic Awards 2024, held in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to celebrate the achievements and high standards of the increasing number of organic growers, producers, and manufacturers in the country. The winners of the National Organic Awards will be revealed at an awards ceremony that takes place on Thursday, October 17, in the Bord Bia Global Hub in Dublin.
Judges reviewed the shortlisted companies at the National Organic Food Fair, which took place in Merrion Square in Dublin recently. The judges included chef Clodagh McKenna, food writer Suzanne Campbell, chef Janine Kennedy, food consultant Annie Dunne, and retail expert John McDonagh.
The shortlisted companies were judged across seven categories, including a new award for 2024, The Organic Sector Champion, which will be announced alongside the other winners at the ceremony in October. Among those shortlisted for the awards are Waterford Distillery in Waterford city and Flahavan’s from Kilmacthomas.
Founded in 2016, Waterford Distillery is taking a new approach to Irish whisky. Their barley is 100% Irish and sourced from 46 local farms in the south east of Ireland. Each farm’s barley is stored separately, distilled separately and aged separately. This allows the unique attributes (or Terroir) of each farm and region to be examined individually before determining the preferred bottling.
They are shortlisted for the Best Irish Organic Product Award and Best Irish Organic Export Product Award for their Biodynamic Cuvée Luna and Organic Cuvée Gaia, respectively.
Flahavan’s have called Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford, their home for over 200 years. During that time, they have developed their unique time-proven milling process, which ensures the quality and consistency of their product. They source their grain locally with the goal of creating wholesome, natural foods. They are shortlisted for the Best Irish Organic Export Product Award for the Flahavan’s Organic Jumbo and Standard Porridge.
Commenting on the selection of short-listed producers, Emmet Doyle, Organic Sector Manager in Bord Bia, said: ‘The National Organic Awards is an opportunity to shine a light on the quality of Ireland’s thriving organic sector and highlight some of the producers who continue to drive the sector from strength to strength.
“From speaking to our esteemed judges, the calibre of entries was excellent this year, which is reflected in the companies shortlisted . We would like to extend our congratulations to them, and thank all who entered this year.” Winners of the National Organic Awards 2024 will get a one-to-one session with Bord Bia’s Client Capability team, who will help develop a bespoke package of supports to meet individual company needs up to the value of €5,000.
