From next week, Lidl’s Kick Start products will be available for a limited period while stocks last across the 195 Lidl stores throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland. Hailing from every county in Northern Ireland, 11 suppliers from Northern Ireland have been selected to take part in the Lidl’s Kick Start Supplier Development Programme.
Earlier this year Lidl called on small and medium-sized Northern Ireland suppliers to enter the Kick Start Supplier Development Programme which is designed to help small and medium suppliers in Northern Ireland to grow their brand and build their supply network. Beating off competition from over 200 entrants, a total of 20 new and exciting products from Northern Ireland have been selected.
Tyrone based supplier, Curious Farmer, will see their innovative cooking spices go on sale in all Lidl stores across Ireland and Northern Ireland. For founder, Joel Kerr, farming has been in the family for generations and the recipe kits were created after customers spoke of wanting delicious, flavoursome meals which weren’t always easy to make due to their busy lives. The recipe kits can be used to create beef, fish and vegetarian and vegan meals.
Speaking about the importance of the Kick Start opportunity Joel said;
“The opportunity Kick Start has presented to partner with one of Europe’s leading supermarket retailers is invaluable to our business. Having our products on Lidl shelves in September has brought a whole new level of exposure to our products, taking us from regional to national level. We are delighted to be able to reach more customers than ever before.”
Declan O’Donoghue was another lucky supplier to be selected, his award-winning Dry Cured Smoked Bacon Jam was created after a local hotelier approached him asking if he could make such a product. His high quality tasty preserve has since won a Diamond Award at the Butchery Excellence Awards Ireland 2017.
As well as the limited edition in-store promotion, Kick Start also provided the ambitious companies with free business development seminars delivered by a panel of Lidl and wider industry experts, covering key disciplines such as quality control, packaging, communications and brand building.
‘Kick Start’ represents an investment of almost £180,000 by Lidl and the newly selected range will complement Lidl’s existing portfolio of quality Irish products.
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