Excellence celebrated at the Green Food & Beverage Producer Awards 2021

Key players from the green food and beverage sector came together to celebrate their achievements and the collective growth and innovation of their industry. Progress was the name of the game at the event held on December 8^th with 12 prestigious awards handed out.

The green food and beverage sector was well-represented with over 21 companies in attendance at the awards which are now in their second year.

The winners were announced to a live audience at a special, virtual ceremony hosted by broadcaster and comedian Colm O’Regan.

Events like this are only made possible thanks to the generosity and support of sponsors. The Green Food and Beverage Awards are particularly thankful to their 2021 sponsors, which included ESB, Veolia and Amarach Research.

One of the winners was Dawn Meats whose head of sustanability, Gill Higgins said; “On behalf of all the team at Dawn Meats we are delighted to be named “Best Sustainable Meat Producer” for the second year running. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do and this award recognises the hard work of our farmer suppliers and our people, helping to reduce emissions and keeping quality meat products on supermarket shelves and restaurant menus in the most testing of times.”

Another winner was Heineken Ireland. Their sustainability and public affairs manager, Barbara-Anne Richardson said; “Sustainability is at the heart of everything that we do at Heineken Ireland so we are delighted that our Brew a Better World sustainability strategy, and the teams that deliver it, have been recognised with the supreme award as Ireland’s Overall Green Food and Beverage Producer. Our strategy has seen a 58 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions per hectolitre from production since 2008 and we are now focused on the decade of action ahead to reach net zero emissions in production by 2030.”

There is now a full online broadcast of the live event which has added a new dimension to the awards ceremony. Thanks to this, entrants to the awards can now receive comprehensive video collateral of their engagement on the night which is of huge value in their own social media communications activity. Feedback reports from the award judges are also available to give finalists information on how their entries faired against their competitors. This data provides insights on where improvements are needed to win more consistently at the awards.

The full list of the 2021 winners is:

Covid-19 Crisis Response Award

Winner: Blanco Niño

Sustainable Supply Chain Achievement Award

Winner: ABP Food Group

Best Sustainable Packaging Strategy

Winner: Coca-Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland

Best Green SME Food & Beverage Producer of the Year

Winner: Thanks Plants

Best Green Horticultural Producer

Winner: Meade Farm Group

Best Green Beverage Manufacturer (Alcoholic or Non-Alcoholic)

Winner: Heineken Ireland

Best Green Dairy Producer

Winner: Glenisk

Best Green Chilled & Frozen Food Producer

Winner: ABP Food Group

Best Sustainable Meat Producer

Winner: Dawn Meats

Sustainability Team of the Year

Winner: Coca-Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland

Green Food & Beverage Leader 2021

Recipient: Enda Buckley

Overall Green Food & Beverage Producer

Winner: Heineken Ireland

The 2021 judging panel was comprised of:

• David Fitzgerald, head of Responsible Sourcing Europe, Kellogg Company
• Martina Henry, global head of Regenerative Agriculture, Diageo
• Dr. Lynsey Hollywood, manager, Food and Drink Business Development Centre, Ulster University
• Brenda Kelleghan, Food Innovation & Technology specialist, Southern Regional College
• Enda Kiernan, past president, Chartered Institution of Waste Management
• Grace Maher, development officer, Irish Organic Association
• Padraig Ryan, director, Grant Thornton Ireland