Environmentalists get their (organic) oats as Flahavan's wins environmental award.

Flahavan's, based in Kilmacthomas has won the award for its Organic Porridge Oats products at the 2006 Annual Environmental Awards held by the Cork Environmental Forum in City Hall last week. The criteria for the Business and Commercial food-product category award were minimal packaging, recyclability and biodegradability. All entrants in the five categories for the 2006 Environmental Awards had been nominated for their contribution towards environmental care following a postcard competition held earlier in the Spring where 10,000 postcards were distributed in Cork City and County inviting nominations for products with environmentally friendly packaging.

Flahavan's Scoops Prestigious Export Award

E Flahavan & Sons Ltd – one of Ireland's oldest family-owned food companies – has won the prestigious Irish Exporters Association Irish Food and Drink Export Award for 2005.

The company won the award for its expansion into the UK market with two new branded products, Flahavan's Irish Porridge Oats and Flahavan's Microwaveable Quick Oats.

The Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, based company is Ireland's oldest and leading provider of oat-based brands and products. Flahavan's sources all its ingredients locally and its major export markets are Britain and Northern Ireland, where a planned major push is expected to increase sales substantially.

Other nominees for the Irish Food and Drink Export Award were Irish Yoghurts Ltd of Clonakilty, Co Cork, and O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bar Ltd of Dublin.

Flahavan's is Ireland's favourite porridge brand, with over one million servings consumed nationwide each week. The company employs 35 people and has been milling oats in Co Waterford for over 200 years.

Innovation is at the fore of Flahavan's product development. Earlier this year, the company extended its range to meet the growing need for health-contributing and convenience products in the breakfast category. Flahavan's Quick Oats portable porridge – individual serving portions that can be prepared in the microwave in just 90 seconds – has now been introduced on the UK market.

"We are delighted that E Flahavan & Sons Ltd has been selected by the Irish Exporters Association judging panel. This important award recognises our recent expansion success into the UK market," John Flahavan, Chairman of the company, said.

John Noonan, Marketing Director, E Flahavan & Sons Ltd, said the company had carried out a strategic review of its business which showed geographic branded expansion outside of Ireland, particularly in the UK market, as an area of opportunity.

"Although Flahavan's is a household name in Ireland, it was relatively unknown in the UK,” he said. "Early research showed that to gain success in this market, the products would have to be distinctive, with a strong set of unique benefits. With this brief, we developed two new oat-based products, which we launched in the UK, under the Flahavan's brand name – Flahavan's Irish Porridge Oats and Flahavan's Microwaveable Quick Oats.”

The awards were presented at a recent ceremony in the O'Reilly Hall, University College, Dublin by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Micheál Martin, TD.

Flahavan's Hot Up The UK Porridge Market With Tesco Launch

Recent months have seen the launch of two new brands from Flahavan's - Ireland's favourite porridge producer - in the UK with Tesco. Flahavans Microwaveable Quick Oats - authentic Irish porridge oats easily prepared in the microwave in under 2 minutes - comes in a new resealable drum format for added freshness and includes a handy measuring scoop to ensure perfect porridge every time. Flahavans Irish Porridge Oats focuses on the Irish origin and texture as a point of taste difference in a market that generally uses Scottish Oats.

The launch represents the culmination of over 2 years' research by Flahavans, Bord Bia and Tesco. John Noonan, Marketing Director of Flahavans, explained: "The UK market - valued at around stg£70 million - offers a strong opportunity for growth, being almost 12 times the value of the Irish market for hot oats. Tesco UK's share of this market alone is worth about three times the size of the total Irish market." Dan Maltby, Tesco Hot Cereals buyer added "The opportunity for sales of porridge oats increases in the autumn when the cold weather starts. The new Flahavan brands bring a strong degree of innovation and added value to the Hot Oats category in Tesco, two essential ingredients necessary to ensure that new products are likely to succeed in the UK".

As the oldest family-run food company in Ireland, Flahavans has continued to innovate and expand without compromising on the company's promise of quality and taste. Today, John Flahavan, is the sixth generation to successfully produce Ireland's preferred porridge brand. Based in the village of Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford, the company employs 33 people and is one of the last remaining indigenous private family food brands.