Local elderflower drinks brand, Irish Hedgerow, have been chosen to be stocked in over 150 SuperValu stores for three weeks, from tomorrow as part of the supermarkets Taste of Local initiative.
The brand is one of five that were chosen after they excelled following taking part in the Food Academy, a business development programme specially for Irish food and drink producers.
The team at Food Academy felt that Irish Hedgerow had something special to offer Irish consumers, so they will be on shelves nationwide in SuperValu’s across the country.
Irish Hedgerow is a non-alcoholic drink brand offering a selection of sparkling drinks, tonic waters and cordials infused with real elderflower.
They were the first to exclusively use Irish elderflower and it’s the elderflower tonic water which was chosen as their Hero product soon set to feature in SuperValu stores across Ireland.
This year’s five Taste of Local Guest Star Hero Products are available in over 150 SuperValu stores nationwide from October 12th until November 2nd .
Tipperary based co-founder of Irish Hedgerow, Julian Armitage has been based in Tipperary since 2013 and was instantly blown away by the natural beauty of the local hedgerows
The wild elderflower in our products is sourced entirely from hedgerows across Tipperary and Waterford.
Sustainability is a key focus for the business which s use glass bottles and recyclable wrapping, and also personally harvests and extracts the flowers with anything left over being composted.
The products will be available in the Taste of Local section in-store, which highlights quality local Irish food and drink products all year round, showcases the producers who have gone through the Food Academy Programme as well as promoting hyperlocal products that are unique to local stores.
The Food Academy programme, ran in collaboration with Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Office, supports 1,500 jobs in local communities nationwide, with a survey of Food Academy members finding that 98% of participants feel that Food Academy has been “very beneficial” to developing their business, and 85% of participants expect to employ new staff over the next 12 months.
