27 July 2023
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
Cork company Ballymaloe Foods has been recognised for its sustainability practices, gaining Origin Green Gold Membership status for 2023.
Origin Green is a Bord Bia sustainability programme, the only one of its kind in the world, that sets measurable sustainability targets for the full supply chain of food and drink from farmers to food producers, through to the food service and retail sectors. Origin Green Gold Membership is awarded to companies that perform exceptionally well in areas such as sourcing raw materials, water and energy efficiency, waste reduction and social sustainability.
In awarding the Gold Status to Ballymaloe Foods, the Origin Green judges said the company had ‘scored exemplary in its energy/emissions, waste, employee well-being and community engagement targets.’
Ballymaloe Foods makes the iconic Ballymaloe Relish and an array of other condiments and sauces from its base at Little Island. The family business has always had a strong ethos of sustainability and has made great strides in recent years to build upon this legacy, from increasing its number of suppliers with sustainability accreditation to reducing overall waste by almost a fifth since 2018.
Commenting on the recent acquisition of Origin Green Gold Status, General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods Maxine Hyde said: “All our team are so happy to be recognised by Origin Green with a Gold standard, with our energy emissions, waste management and employee well-being called out as exemplary. Bord Bia Origin Greens gives us the tools to measure our progress in our journey to a greener and better environment for ourselves, our employees and our customers. This is a measure at this point in time, and we look forward to continuing the vital journey with our consumers, our trading partners and our team. We will be relentless in our pursuit of delivering these initiatives while delivering good value for our customers”
Ballymaloe Foods is also highly active in the area of community initiatives. Among its many recent endeavours, the company partnered with the charity Alone late last year, with 10c from every jar with a special label going to the organisation. While a donation of a pallet of pasta sauce, valued at over €2000, was made to Spillane Bros haulage company, who transported food and medical supplies to Ukraine after the outbreak of the war there.
Sisters Rosaleen and Maxine Hyde of Ballymaloe Foods, pictured at Ballymaloe House. Ballymaloe Foods recently gained Origin Green Gold Status for its excellent sustainability practices. Photo: Clare Keogh
