34 producers from Cork win at Blas food awards

This month saw the return of the live Blas na hÉireann finals in Dingle and numerous Cork producers were triumphant once again.

The largest food awards on the island saw an amazing 34 producers winning from Cork, showing the depth of talent in the county.

The bronze, silver and gold winners from Cork are White Rabbit Ltd, Ballyvolane House Spirits Company Ltd, Bandon Vale Cheese, Bantry Bay Seafoods, Clona Dairy Products Ltd, Clonakilty Food Company, Clonakilty Gluten Free Kitchen, Coolmore Foods, Durrus Cheese Ltd, Folláin, Frodo Ltd, Irish Yogurts, Keohane Seafoods, Kepak Cork, Kinsale Spirit, Macroom Buffalo Cheese Products Ltd, Malay Kitchen, McCarthy's of Kanturk, Mella's Fudge, Niamh's Larder, North Cork Creameries, On The Pigs Back, Praline Pastry Ltd, Rebel Chilli, Second Street Bakeshop, Secret Recipe Limited, Silver Pail Dairy, Skeaghanore West Cork farm, Susan's Sweet Sensations, The Good Fish Company, Tom Durcan Meats Ltd, Velo Coffee Roasters, Wildberry Bakery, Kepak Group and Gloun Cross Dairy, who were also awarded Best in County and Best in Munster.

Located in Dingle, a pop-up village called the Blas Village was built for producers to celebrate the very best of Irish food and drink for Blas’s first in-person event in three years. Finalists and winners had the opportunity to showcase their products, engage with customers and meet key industry buyers.

Finalists and winners showcased their produce in a new tented market - also a new addition to the festival called Eat Ireland in a Day.

Artie Clifford, Chairperson and founder of Blas na hÉireann said: “After a three-year hiatus from an in-person event, having a three-day event with the addition of the Blas Village and Eat Ireland in a Day has been worth the wait.

“It has been an intense and fantastic few days of focused networking, catch-ups and creating new connections and I am delighted that we have been able to showcase this exceptional produce to both regular visitors and industry experts in such an approachable and enjoyable way.”

Now in their 15th year, Blas na hÉireann saw a huge increase in entries with almost 3,000 products and many new producers entering the awards for the first time. Products were entered to win bronze, silver or gold awards in over 150 food and drink categories, as well as key awards like Supreme Champion and Best Artisan Producer.

“Making it as a finalist is a huge achievement and one to be very proud of,” said Artie Clifford. “The competition ramps up year on year, meaning those producers who are short-listed as finalists really are the crème de la crème of Irish food and drink.”