Note: March 2021
Below are the details of how the awards took place in 2020 with an update issued to all producers in August 2020. At the time it seemed like the most unique of circumstances, now, in March 2021, we know that we have a system in place which has been tried and tested to work within guidelines.

Published August 2020: Our team have been working tirelessly since March to make sure that Blas 2020 goes ahead and that we maintain our commitment to celebrating the very best in Irish food and drink. We feel that now, more than ever it is essential to shine a spotlight and give that all important clap on the back to the talented producers dotted around the island.

The event in Dingle will not take place this year as the safety of our team, our incredible volunteers from UCC, CIT, GMIT, IT Tralee and TU Dublin, our judges and our community here in Dingle is our top priority.

Throughout this year we have carefully watched the evolving situation and while we have always hoped to bring everyone together we have also planned for alternative arrangements.

As always, we have done everything with producers in mind.

Judging

Our summer judging has now taken place. Faced with the restrictions around college campuses still in place and under the watchful eye of our academic director Professor Joe Kerry of UCC we relocated our judging to Dingle, ensuring the judging was handled with the same care and attention as always.

We had hoped to have a finalist judging take place in Dingle in early October as per previous years and while we hoped for this we planned for restrictions to remain in place.

After the initial first round of judging we put the top scoring products from a number of categories through a second round of tasting, both in Dingle and at satellite venues across the country. In conjunction with UCC we studied these results and found that our results based on two entirely separate panels returned the same rankings.

The Blas na hÉireann 2020 results will be based on our summer judging sessions and will be announced as follows;

Producers will be notified by email, as always, if they have reached the finalist stage. These emails will be sent in the coming days and, as always, every producer who has taken part will receive an update on their entry.

Those in the finalist stage can promote their achievements between now and the awards being announced in October.

The awards will be announced online on Saturday 3^rd October.

October – Producer Showcase, The Backyard and Awards

We are proud of the Blas na hEireann events we have created in Dingle each year in October and the visibility these give to producers over the course of the weekend. We know that they are an important part of the Blas experience.

The Blas Producer Showcase, while we may not be able to recreate the physical shop floor display we will be working to put the spotlight on each producer and their finalist products, bringing them to the attention of the buyers in an alternative format.

Due to the success of our virtual Backyard events in April, and the fact that the Backyard has become a very important aspect of the Blas weekend, we plan to facilitate a series of Backyard events online this year and we will work on an exciting and informative programme that reflects the times we are living in and the specific challenges producers and buyers are facing. 

More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

For the awards themselves, we will be announcing the winners over the course of the day on October 3^rd on our website and social media channels and while we will miss gathering collectively to cheer on colleagues and friends, we will make up for it by ensuring that #Blas2020 trends all day!

And we would ask that everyone get involved in the online celebration. 

We did not make this decision lightly and we are confident that we have made the correct call by cancelling the Blas na hEireann events in October. We hope you understand and support the new format that we have developed to ensure that the Blas na hÉireann 2020 awards are announced and celebrated.

Please get in touch with us if you have questions. You can reach Fallon or Artie by phone on the numbers below or by email on info@irishfoodawards.com

Fallon — 087 9029329

Artie — 087 2026420

Find more details on finalist info here

Are you passionate about developing a food business?

UCC are now taking applications for the next cycle of UCC’s part-time Diploma in Speciality Food Production.

Past participants have described this course as invaluable and would strongly recommend it to those starting or developing artisan and speciality food businesses. Many graduates have gone on to develop successful food enterprises.

The diploma starts in October 2020 and will run on a part-time basis until May 2021. The programme is typically delivered over two days, every three weeks, and consists of lectures in conjunction with practical’s, case studies, site visits and workshops. NOTE: Due to current COVID 19 restrictions, it may be necessary to deliver part, or all of entire programme using a suite of on-line tools.

The fee for the diploma is €2800 and funding (64% of the fee) is available for eligible applicants.

An application form and more information can be obtained from Dr Angela Sheehan, Programme Manager, a.sheehan@ucc.ie or by visiting www.ucc.ie/en/fitu.

We at Blas na hÉireann fully support the decision by The Dingle Food Festival to cancel this year’s event, it is important to consider the safety of the community and the many festival-goers who visit Dingle each October.
You can find more details from The Dingle Food Festival here.

In the Blas office, since March we have been monitoring the situation closely and working tirelessly in the background to ensure that the awards go ahead, albeit in a new format.

The events will not take place in Dingle. We will be announcing the awards in a new format and continue to create maximum impact for our finalists with exposure to buyers and press, finding new ways of connecting and networking.

We are in the final stages of our new 2020 plan and will share all the details in the coming days. Rest assured, we will be announcing a Blas Class of 2020 in October

You can find more details on current judging here

Questions? You can reach us on info@irishfoodawards.com

We have had to make some changes to our judging dates and locations in line with current restrictions. 

We have been working on the details and our judging is currently set to take place in various locations throughout the summer, beginning in Dingle in July. You can find the details here, dates & locations 
You can find details on number of samples and how to prepare, here.

The Blas judging is a blind tasting and, as part of this, our judges always have an element of separation so as there is no conferring. Therefore we are able to implement social distancing measures for judging.

We are working with TU Dublin and UCC as always in the new venues and there are a few things we would note, 

We have made changes to the dates and venues to remain in line with restrictions and to allow for greater distancing measures.

We will be asking producers to be especially mindful of deliveries and to use courier or postal delivery where possible. In the case of large single deliveries from one producer, we will work with you to confirm an agreed delivery date and time.

This judging is the most critical part of our work. We have always worked to ensure that this stage is rigorously and fairly organised, that each entry is handled with care and just as the producer themselves would handle and present it. We will continue to maintain these standards while also adhering to Government guidelines around Covid-19.

October – The Awards
Our events in October are a wonderful celebration of Irish food and drinks and we love getting everyone together in Dingle. We will be closely monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis and are already mapping out alternative plans should social distancing measures still be in place at that time.

There will be Blas na hÉireann awards announced this year. We feel that now, more than ever, it is vital to highlight the very best of Irish produce and to recognise our producers who are making outstanding Irish food and drink.

Producers have consistently told us that having an award has a measurable impact on business and for this reason we are committed to ensuring that there will be a Blas Class of 2020. If we need to adjust our format to comply with the best Government and Public Health recommendations, we will do so and communicate this immediately with our producers.

Please get in touch with us if you have questions. You can reach Fallon or Artie by phone on the numbers below or by email on info@irishfoodawards.com

Fallon — 087 9029329
Artie — 087 2026420

There are a few key details to check:

1. Check your delivery date and location. We have different dates & locations planned by category, these are crucial. Please check these on your delivery label and you can also find them here
   
2. Particularly for this year we are asking to keep deliveries simple and we are asking producers to be especially mindful of deliveries and to use courier or postal delivery where possible. In the case of large single deliveries from one producer, we will work with you to confirm an agreed delivery date and time.
   
3. Please note products should be delivered as they are presented in their packaging to the customer. Our team will unpack and prepare for blind tasting.
   Please be sure to include your entry number on each sample
   
4. 3 samples of each product entered are required  
   (In the case where your product is over 1 kilo in weight, please deliver 2 samples only)
   Remember, include your entry number on each sample please
   
5. Best Before date must be included with all deliveries and all entries should be delivered with maximum possible shelflife.
   
6. All chilled products should arrive at the correct temperature for storage and will be checked on delivery. You can find some helpful info on chilled delivery options here
   
7. Any products which do not adhere to the delivery terms or which are not delivered on time will be disqualified from the competition.

If you have questions just ask us
If you have different delivery dates or locations, we will make every effort to consolidate if we can, just ask us
If you are unsure about anything in the above, just ask us

Fallon – 087 9029329
Artie – 087 2026420
info@irishfoodawards.com

Graduate Development Programme for Agri-Food SMEs

The UCC Diploma in Management Practice & Leadership (Agriculture & Agri-Food) will provide SMEs with a tailored graduate programme, which will significantly enhance their current graduates’ skills, and help them to attract and retain the best young graduates.

Graduate training is now a vital part of the continuing professional development of young employees. While most of the larger organisations offer their own in-house training programmes, this is not a feasible option for the vast majority of Irelands SME sector, due to cost constraints. In response to this, Macra Agricultural Skillnet and University College Cork (UCC) have collaborated to offer an exceptional agri-focussed programme, which will deliver core management and leadership skills to graduates in this sector.

Leveraging the almost thirty years of experience gained from training young professionals via the Food Industry Training Unit in UCC, this course will be run by a dedicated, experienced and tested team including a dedicated Programme Manager and sector relevant expert Lecturers. The Diploma will be delivered in a series of ten two day workshops, commencing in Sept 2020, and running until May 2021.  The course will fit around the graduates’ full time roles, and will enable them to apply newly learned skills from the very first module.

For further Information please contact:

Deirdre Hilliard, Programme Manager, Food Industry Training Unit, School of Food & Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork   Email: d.hilliard@ucc.ie  Mob 086 3830011

The team at Bia Innovator campus have asked us to share details of this new opportunity, you can find more details on the role here.

Would you like to get involved and start your company’s diversity and inclusion journey today? We have been asked to share the below with our network.
Joining is simple, its free and its for all sized Irish Food and Drink companies just click on the link below to register with us. We carry out Masterclasses throughout the year for all members to assist and guide them in their business and would welcome you at our next virtual online one where we will be looking at how SMEs have managed through the covid-19 crisis and giving some helpful takeaways for all our members.

More about the…
The Agri-Food Diversity & Inclusion Forum is a collaborative initiative with industry, led by Bord Bia and Aon, in partnership with The 30% Club. Our task is to drive awareness and support the Irish food and drink industry on its diversity and inclusion journey; so that our sector is best positioned to compete and attract the best talent at all levels across our sector.

Effectively we are driving the business case for diversity and inclusion in the food and drink industry. The basic hypothesis is that a mix of experience, thought, background, capability and outlooks at all levels of an organisation drives better business results (and this fact is supported by a myriad of research). The current priority is to develop a framework to promote diversity and inclusion in the Irish Food, Agribusiness and Drinks sector, with an initial focus on gender balance. Our objective is to secure the future success of the Irish food and drink sector.  This can be done, in part through recognition that attracting the best talent depends on making current and future workers feel they are valued and that their contribution is recognised. As the agri-food sector competes with other sectors for the right people with relevant skillsets, it is clear that realising the ambitious growth projections for our sector is dependent on our success in this. We aim to equip food and drink companies with the knowledge and know-how to implement diversity and inclusion initiatives in the workplace to attract and retain the best talent for our industry.

Register here

Our judging is currently set to take place in July in Cork with UCC and in August in Dublin, in partnership with TU Dublin,

The Blas judging is a blind tasting and, as part of this, our judges always have an element of separation so as there is no conferring. Therefore we are able to implement social distancing measures for judging.

We are working with TU Dublin and UCC on the details of this but please be aware of the following:

·        We may need to have some changes to judging dates and venues, potentially holding them over a longer time span to allow for greater distancing measures.

·        We will be asking producers to be especially mindful of deliveries and to use courier or postal delivery where possible. In the case of large single deliveries from one producer, we will work with you to confirm an agreed delivery date and time.

This judging is the most critical part of our work. We have always worked to ensure that this stage is rigorously and fairly organised, that each entry is handled with care and just as the producer themselves would handle and present it. We will continue to maintain these standards while also adhering to Government guidelines around Covid-19.

October – The Awards

Our events in October are a wonderful celebration of Irish food and drinks and we love getting everyone together in Dingle. We will be closely monitoring the situation on an ongoing basis and are already mapping out alternative plans should social distancing measures still be in place at that time.

There will be Blas na hÉireann awards announced this year. We feel that now, more than ever, it is vital to highlight the very best of Irish produce and to recognise our producers who are making outstanding Irish food and drink.

Producers have consistently told us that having an award has a measurable impact on business and for this reason we are committed to ensuring that there will be a Blas Class of 2020. If we need to adjust our format to comply with the best Government and Public Health recommendations, we will do so and communicate this immediately with our producers.

Please get in touch with us if you have questions. You can reach Fallon or Artie by phone on the numbers below or by email on info@irishfoodawards.com

Fallon — 087 9029329

Artie — 087 2026420

Innovators, educators and Irish food ambassadors, Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen voted Blas na hÉireann 2020 Producers’ Champions

Every year, Blas na hÉireann surveys Irish producers asking them to nominate their Producers’ Champion for the year and in 2020, Darina Allen, Rory O’Connell and Rachel Allen have been chosen collectively as the year’s joint Blas na hÉireann Producers’ Champions.

Joining past Producers’ Champions and heroes of the Irish food industry like An Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Simon Coveney, Neven Maguire, John & Sally McKenna and Kai’s Jess Murphy, the 2020 Producers’ Champion honour is voted for by Irish food producers when asked who they feel is doing the most to support Irish food both at home and abroad.

There was a very clear theme from this year’s survey that reflected an appreciation of the late Mrs. Allen’s legacy at Ballymaloe and of Rory, Darina and Rachel, in their individual and collective roles, continuing that legacy as innovators, constant supporters of the best Irish ingredients and producers, and educators of the next generation of cooks and growers.

Darina Allen and her brother Rory O’Connell established Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983, the world-famous cookery school on an organic farm which has been producing home chefs and professionals to be found in kitchens all over the world for over 37 years. Rachel Allen studied at Ballymaloe herself before joining the team as a teacher, and all three are key members of the core teaching team at the Cookery School.

All three are exceptional teachers and also cookbook writers and tireless ambassadors for Irish food both at home and abroad.  They are well respected voices on multiple aspects of the food from Slow Food and Farmers’ Markets to traditional techniques and sustainability issues.  Advocates of the importance of children learning how to grow and cook food.  They share their expertise through their many award-winning TV programmes.

Often dubbed the Oscars of Irish food, Blas na hÉireann, the Irish Food Awards is the largest food awards on the island, open to all 32 counties, with judging taking place during June and July, finalists notified in August, and finalist judging in Dingle, the home of the awards, in October. With workshops and masterclasses in Dingle, final Blas na hÉireann 2020 awards will be presented alongside producer networking events during the Dingle Food Festival, always an unmissable event for food lovers.

“I know I speak for Rory and Rachel when I say we are thrilled to be announced as Blas na hÉireann 2020 Producers’ Champions.” said Darina Allen. “In this current global crisis, industry celebrations like Blas are needed now more than ever to highlight the great effort of our food community, the importance of good food and the many talented producers we are lucky to have on the island. People in the sector have been through tough times before and the resilience, ingenuity and hard work of Irish makers, growers and producers make them a force to be reckoned with. We look forward to being in Dingle in October to continue to celebrate and support all that is great in Irish food.”

“Our goal at Blas na hÉireann has always been to help Irish producers to tell their stories,” says Artie Clifford, Chairperson and founder of Blas na hÉireann,

“something our three Producers’ Champions have been proudly doing themselves for many years. Their in-depth knowledge and showcasing of Irish products, producers and their narratives has helped bring valuable attention to the sector.

Winning a Blas award has a similar impact in marking a product or producer out as special and worth exploring and has been shown to work for our previous winners in bringing them to the attention of food-lovers both at home and abroad. We are looking forward to doing it all again for Blas na hÉireann 2020, in a time that has its own unique challenges, and we hope to welcome food lovers and our 2020 Producers’ Champions to Dingle in October.”

Entries for Blas na hÉireann 2020 are now open online at the discounted early bird fee of €60 per entry (ex VAT). The early bird discount has been extended to 30^th April. The full entry fee, applicable from 1^st May to 25th May is €75 per entry (ex VAT).

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