Ballymaloe Foods Achieves Certified B Corporation™ Status

 Press Release

Ballymaloe Foods Achieves Certified B Corporation™ Status

Pictured: Ballymaloe Foods Operations Manager Rosaleen Hyde, Sustainability Executive Johnny Tobin Allen and General Manager Maxine Hyde. Photo Credit: David Creedon.

Ballymaloe Foods joins global community of businesses

that meet exceptional standards of social and environmental

performance, accountability, and transparency.

Certified B Corporation™ is a globally recognised standard conferred by B Lab, a non-profit organisation. It signifies that a business meets verified standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency, balancing purpose with profit.

Certification is awarded following a rigorous assessment process that evaluates a company’s impact across five key areas: governance, workers, community, environment, and customers. To achieve B Corp certification, companies must complete the rigorous B Impact Assessment.

General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods, Maxine Hyde, spoke about what the accreditation means to her family business: “The environmental challenges facing us, from climate change to biodiversity loss, are gravely concerning. We're doing our best to play our part and make a positive impact where we can. Achieving B Corp certification is a really proud moment for us and recognition of the work of our team.”

At Ballymaloe Foods, sustainability is embedded in every aspect of how the business operates and makes decisions. In recent years, the company has focused on innovating its production processes to reduce waste, improve efficiency, and minimise its environmental footprint. Working closely with suppliers and partners, Ballymaloe Foods identifies waste hotspots across its value chain and implements practical circular economy solutions. 

The company has also reduced its reliance on virgin plastic by eliminating or transitioning key packaging formats to 100% recycled plastic wherever feasible. As part of its decarbonisation strategy, Ballymaloe Foods generates renewable electricity onsite through a 75 kW solar PV installation while continuously measuring and reducing its carbon footprint.

Ballymaloe Foods is also committed to ensuring good food doesn't go to waste. Through its partnership with FoodCloud, the company redistributes surplus food to charities and community organisations across Ireland. To date, the partnership has redistributed 26.3 tonnes of surplus food—the equivalent of 62,731 meals—while preventing 40 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. By ensuring surplus food reaches those who need it most, the initiative has also helped conserve 125,059m³ of water, reduce pressure on agricultural resources and support 221 community organisations.

Sustainability Executive at Ballymaloe Foods, Johnny Tobin Allen, echoes Maxine’s pride in their achievement, “Achieving B Corp certification is a proud milestone for us at Ballymaloe Foods and a reflection of the work and commitment of our entire team. The process helped us build on the sustainability work already underway, while identifying new opportunities to make an even greater positive impact. For me personally, achieving B Corp certification has been one of the highlights of my time at Ballymaloe Foods.”

Beyond its own operations, Ballymaloe Foods is committed to protecting and restoring nature. As a member of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and the founding partner of the Nature and Us biodiversity research initiative, the company supports biodiversity conservation, environmental awareness, and nature education for schools across Ireland.

The Certified B Corporation™ is reviewed every three years, with certified companies required to demonstrate continued improvement and transparency. For more information about Ballymaloe and its B Corp certification, visit here. 

Keep up to date with the latest news by following Ballymaloe Foods on social @ballymaloefoods. 

GRAHAM NORTON AND BALLYMALOE SERVE UP A CORK-ER OF A CHRISTMAS CREATION

GRAHAM NORTON AND BALLYMALOE SERVE UP

A CORK-ER OF A CHRISTMAS CREATION 

Ballymaloe Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce with Graham Norton Shiraz launches in December

Ballymaloe Foods has teamed up with fellow Cork legend and wine aficionado Graham Norton to launch a festive treat: Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce infused with his award-winning Graham Norton (GN) Shiraz. Landing in supermarkets across Ireland this Christmas, the limited-edition sauce combines Ballymaloe’s much loved cranberry recipe with a warming splash of GN Shiraz, creating the ultimate seasonal pairing for food lovers.

Developed over four months, the sauce features juicy cranberries, festive spices and GN Shiraz, gently mulled by the Ballymaloe team. The result is a vibrant, juicy and flavour-packed condiment with subtle notes of black cherry and chocolate from the GN Shiraz – perfect with cheese boards, roast turkey and those all important post-Christmas sandwiches.  

20,000 jars of the sauce will be distributed nationwide to Ireland’s three main supermarkets; Supervalu, Dunnes Stores and Tesco, and will be on shelves by early December, just in time for early seasonal food shopping.

Graham Norton said: “I couldn’t resist teaming up with Ballymaloe Foods - they’re Cork royalty and I’m thrilled we’ve created something so delicious and festive together. I’m very proud of my wines, especially the Shiraz, so enjoying it mulled into a cranberry sauce was a wonderful surprise… and yes, of course I’ve done the taste test! It has the full GN stamp of approval!”

Commenting on this latest collaboration, General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods Maxine Hyde said: “We love to team up with other quality brands to roll out Christmas products, so it was especially exciting this year to partner with Graham’s wine producer Invivo Wines and align Ballymaloe Foods with the delicious and multi-award-winning Graham Norton Shiraz. Given Graham’s global stardom and proud Cork roots, and our own standing as a proud Cork company, we saw this as a perfect fit. The Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce with Graham Norton Shiraz goes particularly well with a festive cheese board and, of course, a glass of Graham Norton Shiraz.”

Ballymaloe Mulled Wine Cranberry Sauce with Graham Norton Shiraz, which launches in Irish supermarkets in December. Photo: Monika Coghlan

Founded in 1990 in County Cork, Ballymaloe Foods remains a family-run business committed to producing its range of products in Ireland and creating quality products in the most sustainable way they can. The company is no stranger to Christmas collaborations; in recent years it teamed up with i-Stil38 craft Irish vodka to create Ballymaloe Vodka Cranberry Sauce for the 2023 festive season. 

#pressrelease

Ballymaloe Foods add a grown-up twist to delicious cranberry sauce! i-Stil 38 Premium Irish Vodka in a limited-edition for Christmas

Ballymaloe Foods add a grown-up twist to a delicious cranberry sauce!

iStil Ballymaloe Foods Royale

i-Stil 38 Premium Irish Vodka in a limited-edition for Christmas. 

As part of their ongoing commitment to engage with the best local Irish producers, Ballymaloe Foods is proud to announce details of their latest partnership, a cranberry sauce made with i-Stil 38 Premium Irish Vodka.

Since the brand was established in 1990, Ballymaloe Foods has always prioritized working with the best producers and suppliers to ensure their products are of the highest quality and always taste great. Their collaboration with i-Stil 38 Premium Irish Vodka is a prime example.

One of the three vodkas in the i-Stil 38 portfolio, is a pink berry made naturally with distilled Irish grains and Irish berries. It is rich with a fresh, fruity flavour and was chosen by the Ballymaloe team to infuse with their cranberry sauce. The end result is a grown-up twist on a delicious cranberry sauce that works wonderfully with roast turkey, nut loaf, brie cheese or even mixed into a festive cocktail.

General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods and daughter of the company’s founder, Maxine Hyde adds,

“With the holiday season nearly upon us, no dinner table is complete without a jar of cranberry sauce - whether it's destined for the plate or lovingly dressed onto a sandwich, it is the perfect accompaniment to so many Christmas meals. I have also taken great pleasure in mixing our Ballymaloe & i-Stil 38 Vodka cranberry sauce into some very tasty cocktails, an ideal way to celebrate some Christmas cheer!”

Oisin Davis* of Great Irish Beverages consulted on a cocktail creation for the cranberry sauce, a simple drink to mix up either at home or in a bar.

CRANBERRY CHRISTMAS ROYALE

INGREDIENTS:
35 ml i-Stil 38 pink berries vodka, 1 teaspoon Ballymaloe & i-Stil 38  vodka cranberry sauce, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 100 ml of dry prosecco and a lemon twist to garnish.

METHOD:
Place the cranberry sauce into an iced shaker and pour in the vodka and lemon juice. Seal the shaker and shake hard for ten seconds. Fine strain the cocktail into a chilled champagne glass before topping up with the prosecco and garnishing with a lemon twist.

* Fancy more cocktails with great Irish ingredients? Try Oisin's debut book,"Irish Kitchen Cocktails", published earlier this October (2023).

Ballymaloe Foods and MamaBear Foods join forces as Cork business women team up.

press release

CORK BUSINESS WOMEN TEAM UP 

TO OFFER HEALTHY FOODS FOR IRISH FAMILIES

Ballymaloe Foods and MamaBear Foods join forces

Sisters Rosaleen (left) and Maxine Hyde of Ballymaloe Foods - celebrating the news with

MamaBear's Loretta Kennedy (right)

Ballymaloe Foods has successfully completed its first business acquisition, by acquiring MamaBear Foods. The deal was finalised by sisters Maxine and Rosaleen Hyde of Ballymaloe Foods, and Loretta Kennedy, the founder of MamaBear Foods.

MamaBear Foods produces a range of healthy ketchups and pasta sauces for the family while Ballymaloe Foods is famous for its relish and award-winning condiments. The three mums will work together to grow the MamaBear Foods business and expand the range of healthy and family-friendly products. 

Maxine Hyde, co-director of Ballymaloe Foods said: “As mums with young families we are concerned about the lack of Irish made, healthy snack and food options for young children. We love Loretta's concept and existing products and decided we would like to be a part of the next chapter of MamaBear foods. We really look forward to working with Loretta.”

 

Owner of MamaBear Foods, Loretta Kennedy said: “From day one we have been about using only the best natural ingredients, keeping the sugar content down, using recyclable packaging and adding in helpful ingredients like prebiotic fibre. We started this business from my kitchen in Cork, just like Yasmin Hyde did with Ballymaloe Foods. We are delighted to join the Ballymaloe Foods company and to grow our brand with the wonderful team there.”

Loretta set up MamaBear Foods in Cork in 2018 when she found there were no healthy ketchups on the market in Ireland, so she began making her own. The Cork based mum-of-three then launched the reduced sugar and gut-friendly ketchup and it has proven to be very popular with parents looking for healthier alternatives for their families. 

MamaBear Foods is already available in many Irish supermarkets including SuperValu, Dunnes Stores and Aldi. The brand will remain the same while Ballymaloe Foods will help to promote the MamaBear Foods business and grow the brand nationally. Loretta will join Ballymaloe Foods as part of the venture.

Ballymaloe Foods worked with Paul O’Connell in Quintas Accountancy and Sinead McNamara in Fitzgerald’s Legal and Advisory to complete the deal. 

RELISHING THE CHALLENGE OF RUNNING AN IRISH BUSINESS

press release

RELISHING THE CHALLENGE OF RUNNING AN IRISH BUSINESS

“Even though challenges are daunting, having a challenge is a great thing for anyone” - Yasmin Hyde on growing Ballymaloe Foods

The founder of Ballymaloe Foods says there is a very thin line between success and failure. Yasmin Hyde was speaking during the first ever live NeighbourFood Podcast held as part of the Cork on a Fork Food Festival. She encouraged anyone thinking of setting up a business to start small and to accept any help you can get along the way. 

Yasmin Hyde, the daughter of Myrtle Allen, told the audience at the Crawford Art Gallery in Cork City about how she began producing Ballymaloe Relish in her kitchen using her mother’s recipe. She started Ballymaloe Foods in 1990 and the business continues to grow and now produces a range of relishes, sauces and pickles in their purpose built kitchens located in Little Island, County Cork.

For the first five years, Yasmin worked out of a portacabin in her back garden, and drove around in a hand-me-down Lada delivering the relish to various supermarkets. Ballymaloe Foods now employs 35 people, including Yasmin’s three children and her daughter in law.

Yasmin said, “There is a very thin line between success and failure so any little bit of help is wonderful. The local enterprise office was wonderful, we now work with Enterprise Ireland. I was confident too that I had a good product and if you start small you can find your way along.” 

Reminiscing on one of her earliest food memories, Yasmin remarked eating fresh mackerel the day it was caught. Her mother had taught her that quality ingredients make delicious foods. When asked about what philosophies she has followed throughout her lifetime, it was “attention to detail and trying to do everything right to the best you can”. Yasmin also learned from Myrtle that treating your staff well is crucial. When Myrtle was opening up the restaurant at Ballymaloe House, Hyde recalls that she “didn’t want to bring in trained chefs as they would only want to do it their own way, while she wanted them to do it her way!”.

Aside from the relish, Yasmin is most proud of the Ballymaloe pickled beetroot, as it is the only 100% Irish locally produced beetroot available nationwide. The idea stemmed from passing a farmer at a local supermarket. Without knowing the size of his land, she handed him her business card, and he began growing beetroot for her. 

Yasmin explained, “We were losing industries in Ireland, you used to be able to buy glass, vinegar and sugar in Ireland. I asked what can we grow here and came up with beetroot. I was going in the back door of Supervalu when I met a farmer with beautiful vegetables. He grew beetroot for five years for us, it was washed and picked by hand. Now we’ve moved to a larger farm. The beetroot is selling very well and is taking on all the imported products.”

The Covid-19 pandemic has been the most challenging issue the business has faced, as they lost their food service business overnight, however, their retail business grew substantially. Having thanked her staff for rising to the challenge, she commented that, “Even though challenges are daunting, having a challenge is a great thing for anyone.” 

The full podcast is available to listen here: 

https://shows.acast.com/the-neighbourfood-podcast/episodes/yasminhyde-ballymaloefoods 

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BALLYMALOE FOODS SCOOPS MAJOR FOOD AWARDS

August News via Press Release 

BALLYMALOE FOODS SCOOPS MAJOR FOOD AWARDS 

Ballymaloe Pepper Relish and Steak Sauce picks up Great Taste Awards

Yasmine and, right, Maxine Hyde (GM Ballymaloe Foods)

 

 

Ballymaloe Foods has received two awards at this year’s prestigious Great Taste international awards for its Ballymaloe Pepper Relish and Ballymaloe Steak Sauce with Irish Stout. 

The Great Taste awards, run by the Guild of Fine Food in the UK, are known as the world’s most trusted food and drink awards. All products are removed from their packaging before being tasted by a panel of judges made up of food critics, chefs, restaurateurs, retail buyers, cooks, producers, food writers and journalists. 

 

Ballymaloe Foods Pepper Relish and Steak Sauce both received a one-star award and will now be able to display the unmistakable black and gold logo, a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike. 

 

General Manager at Ballymaloe Foods, Maxine Hyde said the company is delighted with the Great Taste Awards, “We are thrilled that two of our products have been selected after being judged by a panel of 500 industry professionals. One of the judges remarked upon the quality of our ingredients which is something we’re incredibly passionate about. We go to great lengths to source local produce whenever possible. We love to collaborate with Irish producers, our award winning steak sauce contains Dungarvan Irish Stout and we’re thrilled to see that O’Donnells also picked up a Great Taste Award for their Ballymaloe Relish & Cheddar Cheese flavour crisps.”

 

The award judges described Ballymaloe Pepper Relish as: “Inviting sweet and fresh aroma of roasted tomato and fresh chilli with an acidic back note. We really enjoyed the slightly chunky texture and felt it was made with good quality ingredients. The mouthfeel was lovely, and the flavours very well-balanced.” The Ballymaloe Steak Sauce was described as: “It tasted like an adult tomato ketchup. The tarragon was well balanced and evident with a pleasing pop from the mustard seeds. Yummy, would lift many things like fish pie, cold meats.”

 

In total, 5,383 products from 110 countries were given awards out of more than 14,000 entries. 

 

Ballymaloe Foods is also hosting a coffee morning next week in aid of its charity partner ALONE. The event in Carrigtwohill Community Centre takes place on Saturday, August 13th from 1pm to 4pm. The Ballymaloe Foods team were asked to nominate a charity for 2022 and voted to partner with ALONE. It supports older people and helps them to age happily and securely at home.

BALLYMALOE FOODS LAUNCHES LIMITED EDITION COLLABORATION WITH THE DOUGH BROS

press release

BALLYMALOE FOODS LAUNCHES LIMITED EDITION COLLABORATION WITH THE DOUGH BROS

The Dough Bros: Ronan and Eugene Greaney

Ballymaloe Foods has joined forces with The Dough Bros Wood Fired Pizza to launch a limited edition pizza kit. It is the latest in a series of collaborations between the Cork based company and Irish restaurants and producers. 

The Dough Bros is located in Galway and was started by brothers Eugene and Ronan Greaney in 2013. Last year, it was named the best pizza takeaway in Europe by 50 Top Pizza, which publishes guides to the best pizzerias across the world. It was also named Top Pizzeria in Ireland. 

The collaboration will see jars of Ballymaloe Original Relish or Ballymaloe Fiery Relish included in DIY home pizza kits which can be shipped nationwide. 

Donnacha Ryan is the Foodservice Business Development Manager at Ballymaloe Foods. He said, “We’re really excited about the collaboration with The Dough Bros because it’s two family-owned businesses working together. They share our passion about bringing delicious food to customers. It has been an extremely challenging two years for all businesses in the food service industry which is why it’s so important to support each other in whatever way we can.” 

Eugene Greaney from The Dough Bros added, "One of the best things since starting our DIY Pizza Kits has been the chance to work with some of the very best of Irish chefs, producers and brands. Ballymaloe Foods is a staple in every home in Ireland so it’s great to get the chance to work with them and use their incredible relishes on our wood fired pizzas. We can’t wait to ship them to people all over the country. We know they are going to love what we have come up with."

The pizza kits will be available to order from The Dough Bros website from the 17th to the 20th of January and will be shipped nationwide on the 21st of January. Customers can choose from a meatball pizza with Ballymaloe Fiery Relish or a four cheese pizza with Ballymaloe Original Relish, each box will include all the ingredients to make two pizzas. A Ballymaloe branded wooden spoon and two bottles of Kombucha made locally in Galway will also be included. The kits are priced at €36.99 and include free delivery. To order, visit www.thedoughbros.ie

Festival Food & Drink Favourites 2021. Eight Degrees and Bakestone in Happy Holiday Pairing

Festival Food & Drink Favourites 2021

Eight Degrees and Bakestone in Happy Holiday Pairing

What were your food and drink favourites over the Christmas and New Year?

I’d say one of mine came at the end of the Christmas Day Dinner when we matched the Bakestone Pudding with a shared can of Eight Degrees Irish Oak-aged Barleywine. At 12.2% abv, this is a heavy hitter and needs respect. Pour a little into a wine glass and sip and enjoy. It went perfectly with the pudding from East Cork (you’ll find Bakestone at Cobh Cross - they’ve been there for years and, as well as a popular café, have a magnificent pantry of top notch Irish produce).

And so it was appropriate that it was two locally made products that topped our Christmas bill!

The Eight Degrees’ aromatic and multi-flavoured seasonal special was aged in especially rare Irish whiskey barrels that have been made from native Irish oak. Not alone did it pair with the rich and dark pudding but it also went well with the light and delicious Christmas cake from Barnabrow House (bought at Roughty Foodie) and also with the cheese course, notably with the Crozier Blue (via On The Pig’s Back).

Bubbles are usually associated with the festivities at this time of year and I was lucky to have a couple of delicious bottles of Prosecco on hand, each by Bottega. The Gold Prosecco Brut impressed for sure but it was the Bottega Rose Gold that really caught my attention. It is a terrific Spumante Brut rose, made from Pinot Noir grapes grown throughout the Veneto.

The hand painted bottles are not only eye-catching but "reflect the quality and care put into producing this wine”. Bottega do not use chemical-based products for their metallised bottles; this means the solvent for the varnish is water-based, instead of being oil or alcohol-based like more traditional varnishes.

It wasn’t just Prosecco of course. There was wine. We won’t go into too much detail just to say that we had an impressive pair via Liberty Wine for dinner on the big day. From South Africa came the Western Cape Momento, the country’s only Grenache Gris. And we made it a lovely Grenache double with the red, a Willunga 100 from the McLaren Vale in Australia.

You always need something extra to bring the best out of all the good stuff on the table at Christmas and two jars in particular were in regular use here. One was the Big Red Kitchen’s Spiced Plum and Port Jam and the other was the seasonal Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce.

The Spiced Plum and Port Jam is very versatile, a match with paté, cheese and duck and we find it  outstanding with Skeaghanore smoked duck breast and gives the Skeaghanore Confit Leg sweet hint of Asia. This year it also impressed with the Bakestone pudding. Nicola of the Red Kitchen combines ripe plums with a hint of warming cinnamon and port in this excellent seasonal preserve which is also wonderful with scones and bread. It won’t go to waste around here.

And neither did the Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce. It certainly did what it says on the jar and enhanced the turkey (and the other meats) no end and also impressed when used with the cheese board. This blend of cranberries and the Irish gin proved indispensable over the week.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Cork Christmas without a helping of spiced beef on the table. No shortage here thankfully and, supplied (like the turkey and ham) by local craft butcher Chris Davidson, it was once again a highlight. Turkey and ham was pretty good too!

Another highlight was our order from Ummera Smokehouse in Timoleague, a box packed with chicken, duck, salmon (two ways), even rashers, all smoked and all delicious as always. Good use was made of this package over the holidays. Nothing like a bit of variety over the hols.

We did indeed use the Ummera smoked chicken on New Year’s Eve and later there were more holiday bubbles. It was now the turn of a super Beaumont des Crayères Vintage 2013 Fleur Blanche Blanc de Blancs Brut (via O’Briens Wines) to shine. Intense and exciting from the engaging first sip, with fountains of micro-bubbles powering upwards, with biscuity aromas and flavours and floral notes too, this is one of the better ones for sure. It is made from 100% Chardonnay and obviously 2013 was a very good year.

Let us hope that 2022 will also be a good one. Happy New Year to you all and fingers crossed that it will be better for all of us.

 

Taste of the Christmas Week. Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Gin Sauce

Taste of the Christmas Week. 

Ballymaloe Foods Cranberry and Mór Gin Sauce

Little Island based

Ballymaloe Foods came up with a Christmas table winner with their Cranberry
and Mór Wild Berry Gin Cranberry Sauce. It certainly did what it says on the jar and enhanced the turkey (and the other meats) no end and also impressed when used with the cheese board. This blend of cranberries and the Irish gin proved indispensable and is our Taste of the Week.

No surprise really that the partnership between the Cork firm and the County Offaly distillery came up trumps as one of the botanicals used in the gin is, yes, cranberries! It is billed on the jar as a "Limited Edition Sauce"; hopefully it will be around for the long term!

BALLYMALOE FOODS COLLABORATE WITH MÓR IRISH GIN ON LIMITED EDITION CHRISTMAS SAUCE

 PRESS RELEASE

BALLYMALOE FOODS COLLABORATE WITH MÓR IRISH GIN ON LIMITED EDITION CHRISTMAS SAUCE

Ballymaloe Foods has partnered with Mór Irish Gin to create a limited edition Cranberry sauce. It is the latest in a series of collaborations between the Cork based company and Irish producers and restaurants. 

Ballymaloe Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce will be stocked in hundreds of supermarkets around the country including Tesco, Dunnes and SuperValu.

Maxine Hyde, General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods says, “We love collaborating with different Irish producers and we felt there was a good synergy with Mór Irish Gin.  They were very keen to do a collaboration with an established Irish food brand and when we tested their Wild Berry Gin with our cranberry sauce the flavour was great.  We always aim to bring something new to our consumers at Christmas and feel that limited edition sauces work well and were delighted to be able to work with Mór on this.” 

The Cornstore Restaurant in Cork has created a special cocktail using Ballymaloe Cranberry and Mór Wild Berry Gin Sauce. The gin-based cocktail is called ‘Naughty & Spice’ and includes rosemary, nutmeg, lemon juice and Cointreau.

During 2021, Ballymaloe Foods worked with Esquires Coffee, CoqBull restaurants in Cork and Limerick, Cornstore Restaurant and Toasted.  It began working with two Northern Ireland based businesses, collaborating with Toast Office in Belfast as well as Blend and Batch in Banbridge.

Ballymaloe Foods has also teamed up with meal delivery service Drop Chef. Ballymaloe Fiery Relish is now included in the pre-portioned ingredients for several recipes like Steak Tacos and Shakshuka.