Grocers & General Stores News
Tesco stores raise over �25,000 for British Red Cross services in the Highlands Tesco Wick raised the most amount of money for the British Red Cross in the Highlands, raising over �6,500. Tesco stores across the Highlands have raised more than �25,000 in 2007 for local British Red Cross services.
Visiting Russian buyers were introduced to the full Mey Selections range at the 'Meet the Russian Buyers' event, held last week at Culloden House Hotel, Inverness. The event, organised by Scottish Development International, brought together buyers from six Russian companies looking to source quality Scottish food and drink products.
Mey Selections was one of the sponsors of this year's Scottish Tourism Week 4-11 March, which saw a number of events taking place throughout the country. One hundred and fifty people representing the Scottish tourism industry enjoyed the delicious taste of Mey Selections lamb, cheese and oatcakes at the Scottish Tourism Dinner held last week in Glasgow, while another 180 guests sampled Barrogill whisky, along with Mey Selections cheeses, oatcakes, chutneys, jams, honeys, shortbread and biscuits at a reception held at the Scottish Parliament at Holyrood.
The Wick office of North Highland Products hosted a ceremony to announce the winners of the 2007 Mey Selections Producer of the Year Awards. The winners in each of three categories - Aberdeen Angus, Commerical Cattle and Lamb, each received a silver cup and �100 prize.
George Cormack, Mey Selections Marketing and Procurement Manager, spoke at a Lamb Marketing seminar in Dornoch yesterday. Hosted by Farming for the Future, the event was attended by approximately 60 members of NFU Scotland who were looking to make more informed decisions and develop their business.
Mey Selections, the brand name of North Highlands Products Ltd., is delighted to announce that they are the first Scottish SME (Small Medium Enterprise) to become involved with the Carbon Trust's product carbon footprinting and labelling initiative. "Not only are we the first Scottish SME, we are one of the first food and drink companies to become involved with the initiative.
Staff at Harrold Bros, based in the High Street in Wick, have been particularly busy over the past few weeks, preparing a mouth-watering array of Mey Selections meat and accompaniments in time for the Festive Season. As Neil Harrold explained, "Every year we aim to offer the finest meat but this year we feel we have surpassed ourselves in that not only, as the Mey Selections licensee in the area, can we offer excellent beef and lamb, but also a vast range of the company's other products - all guaranteed to make the Christmas and New Year celebratory meals ones to remember." Preserves and chutneys, crunchy oatcakes, biscuits and shortbread, as well as traditional clootie, are just some of the temptations for sale at this local Wick shop.
Mey Selections, the brand inspired by HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay and created by a group of farmers in the North Highlands of Scotland, has launched a range of luxury hampers on its new website www.mey-selections.com in time for Christmas. They are available for all to purchase from selected retail outlets or by telephone.
Mey Selections farmers are pioneering a new approach to own label ready meals with Sainsburys. North Highland Products, in partnership with Sainsbury's has launched a quality range of new ready meals as part of the retailer's Taste the difference range.
Pictured above (left) is Wick baker, Stewart McConnach, producer of Mey Selections Shortbread, with Michael Gunn, Mey Selections newly appointed Retail Accounts Analyst and Tracy Waters, Business Development Manager. Michael is seen congratulating Stewart on delivery of his shortbread, completing the first part of Caithness Biscuits contribution to the Mey Selections Sainsbury's Christmas order.
The Prince of Wales has raised over half a million pounds for British farmers directly affected by the latest outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Leading supermarkets such as ASDA, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have made substantial contributions, as have the Co-operative, Musgrave, Booths, Unilever, Cadbury Schweppes and the national food service distributor 3663.
North Highland Products, the fastest growing food and drink Company in Scotland, scooped the prestigious Excellence Award at this year's Highlands and Islands Food and Drink Awards, held in Inverness on Friday. Commenting on the Award, viewed by the industry as public recognition of the company's achievements, Danny Miller, Chairman, said, "It is indeed an honour to be selected, particularly as we have been chosen by the judges from all the entries, in all categories." "It is a fantastic achievement for a company that has been operating for just two years, in which time we have succeeded in returning profits to our producers and our partners in the supply chain," he added.
A bountiful selection of the best of the North Highlands food and drink produce, brought together by HIE Caithness and Sutherland, was visited by HRH Prince Charles recently. Producers from throughout Caithness and Sutherland gathered together at Ackergill Tower near Wick to welcome national and local buyers.
Local Farmer and chairman of Mey Selections Danny Miller was once again beating the trail to Sainsbury's in London to highlight the growing range of high quality food products from the north of Scotland that willbe available for stores in time for Christmas. Suppliers from Mey Selections brought Christmas to Sainsburys HQ in July.
The AGM of North Highland Products in the Park Hotel Thurso was the occasion for the presentation of a bottle of Mey Selections Barrogill whisky to local farmer Arnott Coghill, who is based at Skinnet, Halkirk, in Caithness. North Highland Products offered a bottle of whisky as an incentive to farmers who completed a stock availability questionnaire.
MEY SELECTIONS RAISES ALMOST A QUARTER OF A MILLION POUNDS IN PREMIUMS FOR BEEF AND LAMB �4.6m turnover in first full trading year 25 May 2007: North Highland Products - the operating company for the Mey Selections brand - has reported a turnover of �4.6m in its first full year of operation, with around �240,000 raised in premiums over the Scottish average price in 2006. "In our first full year we have achieved a significant rise in turnover," said Danny Miller, chairman, at the company's Annual General Meeting, held last night at the Park Hotel, Thurso.
Sainsbury's popular Taste the Difference Meatballs, made from Mey Selections beef in an authentic tomato and smoky bacon sauce with added Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, beat off four other finalists to win the meat and poultry category of the Grocer Own Label Award Excellence Awards for 2007 at the Savoy Hotel, London yesterday. The award follows the product's success as the Best New Meat Product in the Meat Industry Awards in London last year.
Inver House Distillers and North Highland Products launched the first ever North Highland Blended Malt Scotch Whisky, Barrogill, as part of the prestigious Mey Selections range of food and drink products, at the Castle of Mey in Caithness today. Mey Selections Barrogill Blended Malt Scotch Whisky takes its name from the history and heritage of the Castle of Mey, the most northerly castle on the Scottish mainland just a few miles from John o'Groats.
North Highland Products, owners of the expanding Mey Selections brand, have appointed the Royal Bank of Scotland as their commercial bankers. Calum Dickson, office manager at North Highland Products, explained, "We have moved our banking to the Royal Bank of Scotland because it gives Mey Selections a local presence and the national support at corporate level that we need.
North Highland Products Ltd - which produces Mey Selections branded products - has received funds from the London-based Carbon Trust to investigate how farmers in the North Highland can reduce their carbon emissions. John Strak, Managing Director of North Highland Products, commented, "SAOS, (The Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society), asked us to join its project with several other partners in a project being financed by The Carbon Trust.