A BALLYVOURNEY food company has credited support from Aldi for helping them absorb the impact of cafes and hotels closing during Covid-19 restrictions.
De Róiste Foods, which produces award-winning black and white pudding, was set up by Jimmy Allen and his sons Declan and Cathal and they now employ a team of nine.
Being awarded a 12-month contract following a successful ‘Grow with Aldi’ special buys launch in 2019 allowed them to increase production and to expand their products. This includes a new range of Ballyvourney sausages which will launch in all 142 Aldi stores nationwide on May 31st.
De Róiste Foods has met recent challenges with a significant loss in sales and orders from the closure of hotels and cafes. However, the major push on the retail sector and in particular Aldi to keep shelves fully stocked has allowed the team to weather the storm. In fact sales for the Ballyvourney supplier were up almost 40% in March, when compared with January and February.
Cathal Allen said: ‘Many aspects of our business such as supplying to cafés and hotels literally disappeared overnight, but we have seen a surge in our business with Aldi through the Grow with Aldi initiative. The reduced payment terms that Aldi activated during this Covid-19 crisis has played a critical and crucial part in allowing us to keep all our nine employees in a job. The Grow with Aldi initiative has allowed us the opportunity to pick up the phone anytime, I know the team on a first name basis and it just helps to build great business relationship.’
