Mash Direct win top Food Business Award in London
Mash Direct win top Food Business Award in London
It has been an unstoppable year so far for Comber’s family-run farm, Mash Direct. The company already has over 120 accolades to their name and last night were named Best Food Company in the UK ahead of some of the biggest companies in the UK and Ireland at the prestigious Food Manufacture Excellence Awards in London.
The awards recognise outstanding performance and innovation in manufacturing businesses throughout the UK and Mash Direct picked up not only the overall prize but also the award for Chilled and Fresh Produce Manufacturing Company of the Year. They beat huge competition for the awards including Coca-Cola, Moy Park, Weetabix and Kelloggs.
The judging panel, including some of the biggest names in the business, awarded Mash Direct for excellence in innovation as well as their family ethos and values that set the company apart. The company is now the biggest brand in the Chilled Side Dish category of the supermarket in the UK and Ireland and increased sales in GB by over 38% last year.
Director Jack Hamilton received the two awards at the glitzy Hilton Park Lane hotel last night in Mayfair, London. “Even to be named among big companies such as Coca Cola means a huge amount to the team but to take the big prize back to the farm in Comber is unbelievable.”
“Having only started out twelve years ago as a small farm diversification supplying to local stores in Killyleagh and Killinchy we are astonished to have won Company of the Year. It means so much more to win this top prize during the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink to highlight the ground-breaking innovation that makes the food from these parts so special”.
Mash Direct is an independent, family owned farming and food production enterprise launched by Martin and Tracy Hamilton in 2004 at their farm in County Down, close to the shores of Strangford Lough.
Mash Direct is the market leader in quality, convenient ‘field to fork’ vegetable and potato dishes ranging from traditional accompaniments of mashed potato and champ to complete ready-meals.
With a total of 18 Great Taste Awards to date, the award-winning Mash Direct range can be found in the ready meal aisle and is available in Northern Ireland and Scotland in Sainsbury’s and Tesco, and throughout Great Britain in Ocado, Booths, Nisa and Wholefoods as well as other independent stores.