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GLEN TENDER SEES STARS

Glen Tender is celebrating after collecting eight gold stars in the prestigious national 2009 Great Taste Awards. The company which specialises in breeding, processing and retailing premium European Angus cattle using traditional and scrupulously ethical methods, earned the accolades for its Sirloin Steak (3 Gold Stars); Rib-eye Steak (2 Gold Stars); Fillet Steak (2 Gold Stars) and Rump Steak (1 Gold Star).

The sparkling haul sets new records for beef producers within the Awards and the three directors at Glen Tender are understandably delighted at their success which, they say, spells good news for Ulster beef farmers.

Although headquartered in Gilford in County Armagh which is the centre for its processing and where the company runs a thriving farm shop and country-wide boxed meat delivery service, Glen Tender uses meat from carefully selected farms in Armagh, Antrim and Down. Its three owner/Directors themselves farm in those counties and it was their commitment to the farming sector that originally fuelled the passion to launch Glen Tender.

Andy Bryan from Portavogie in County Down says, “Somehow we have all taken on board the idea that the only way to guarantee success is by producing cheap meat and, frankly, that’s not something we in Northern Ireland do all that well. What we do is produce some of the best beef in the world using traditional, ethical farming methods. We set up Glen Tender two years ago because we believed it was high time that we played to our strengths and that consumers would be prepared to pay a price premium in return for premium quality beef, traditionally and ethically reared. Customers get the standards they want and our producer farmers get the best possible prices.”

Ivan McMullan from Carnlough in County Antrim says, “It may have been a business gamble but it was one that paid off. Consumers are not only increasingly focused on quality coupled with value, they are are concerned about animal welfare. As those concerns gain momentum, Glen Tender is poised with the right products at the right time. We understand that presenting great beef is down to an accumulation of things: breed type, hanging method, maturing process and, most importantly, cattle stress before slaughter. Research shows that stress adversely affects the marbling and, hence, the taste of beef - which is another reason (if one were needed) for treating cattle with kindness.

Earning recognition in a major competition is a timely bonus for Glen Tender, as Director Harry McGaffin from Gilford in County Armagh explains, “We are rapidly expanding our markets into the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain so a respected

Ivan McMullan from Carnlough in County Antrim says, “It may have been a business gamble but it was one that paid off. Consumers are not only increasingly focused on quality coupled with value, they are are concerned about animal welfare. As those concerns gain momentum, Glen Tender is poised with the right products at the right time. We understand that presenting great beef is down to an accumulation of things: breed type, hanging method, maturing process and, most importantly, cattle stress before slaughter. Research shows that stress adversely affects the marbling and, hence, the taste of beef.

Earning recognition in a major competition is a timely bonus for Glen Tender, as Director Harry McGaffin from Gilford in County Armagh explains, “We are rapidly expending our markets into the Republic of Ireland and Great Britain so a respected third party endorsement is of great importance to us. When we won our Great Taste gold star awards in 2008 we were delighted to find that it opened doors with potentially important new customers. Winning a fabulous crop of eight golds in 2009 will demonstrate – if you will forgive the pun – that Glen Tender is much more than a ‘flash in the pan’ success story. We mean to use our gold stars to help drive forward an ambitious marketing strategy.”

The Great Taste Awards, which is organised by the Guild of Fine Food is now in its 16th year. A Great Taste Award is the authoritative, independent standard for fine food, and even in these tough times the distinctive gold & black logo has consistently proved itself to be one of the most powerful tools to help grow business in the speciality food sector. They are a crucial weapon in the battle against supermarket dominance - Guild director Bob Farrand comments: “At a time when farmers and food producers are in a desperate battle for survival, these giant corporations appear to have a bottomless pit of money for this kind of advertising. But all they’re achieving is putting a gloss on mediocrity and convincing consumers cheap food is a good thing – at the expense of producers, farmers, and the environment.” Farrand believes consumers who trust the supermarkets’ word on food quality are falling for the hype. “There’s only one way to ensure your food is the ‘finest,’ that you’re buying something ‘extra special’ and will ‘taste the difference’ and that is to buy foods that have been subjected to independent scrutiny,” he said.

That’s what the Great Taste Awards achieves – hundreds of independent experts judging on taste alone. It is food and drink’s equivalent to Michelin star.”

A full list of winners is available online at http://www.greattasteawards.co.uk/ and can be searched by region, award or product category.