*Evan Talty of Wild Irish Seaweeds Ltd. Photograph: Burren Eye Photography
TWO CLARE businesses have been shortlisted for the National Organic Awards.
Burren Smokehouse and Wild Irish Seaweeds Ltd have made the shortlist of organic food and drink producers for the National Organic Awards 2024, as announced by Bord Bia.
Held in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the awards 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 17th 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 on Saturday. Judges included chef Clodagh McKenna, food writer Suzanne Campbell, chef Janine Kennedy, food consultant Annie Dunne, and retail expert John McDonagh.
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 Burren Smokehouse from Lisdoonvarna and Wild Irish Seaweeds LTD from Quilty.
Wild Irish Seaweeds Ltd has been harvesting wild organic seaweed from the west of Ireland for over 100 years. All the seaweed used in its products comes from the nutrient-rich waters of the Atlantic Ocean off the west coast of Caherrush, Quilty County Clare. The product range includes kelp, powder blends supplements and smoothie blends. They are shortlisted in the Best Irish Organic Export Product Award and Best New & Innovative Irish Organic Product for their smoothie blends and seaweed sprinkles, respectively. Evan Talty founded the company in 2009.
Burren Smokehouse is an artisan smokehouse of 100% Irish organic salmon and offers experiences and educational experiences at its visitor centre. Burren Smoked Irish organic salmon comes in a variety of hot smoked and cold smoked options in sizes ranging from 90g to 1 Kg. In addition, the producer also has a range of smoked salmon that features marinades like seaweed, honey, lemon & dill, honey whiskey & fennel. They are shortlisted in the Best Irish Organic Product Award and Direct to Consumer Excellence Award for their Smoked Irish Organic Salmon. The Burren Smokehouse is a family-run business by Birgitta & Peter Curtin, using traditional fish smoking methods from Ireland and Sweden.
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.
