Finnebrogue Artisan scoops prestigious Food Manufacturer of the Year 2023

Finnebrogue Artisan in Downpatrick, a global leader in plant-based foods, has won the UK’s most coveted recognition for excellence in manufacturing.

The family-owned business won the prestigious Food Manufacturer of the Year 2023 recognition in the annual Food Manufacture Excellence Awards at a gala event for the UK industry in London.

Best known in UK retailing for its award-winning Better Naked brand of nitrite-free bacon, ham and pork sausages, Finnebrogue was also awarded the Plant Food Manufacturer of the Year in recognition of its pioneering product development in the increasingly important plant-based and vegan categories.

The company, led by the late Denis Lynn until his death in tragic accident in May 2021, has since expanded its product portfolio and currently operates from the biggest factory in Europe making a comprehensive range of healthier plant-based foods.

The awards recognised and honoured “the dedicated businesses and individuals for their achievement, innovation and success”. In addition, there was an award for Moy Park, the leading poultry processor in Craigavon, as Sustainability Food Manufacturer of the Year. It was the first time that local food processors have won the overall award and two other individual categories.

The awards are described as “the undisputed, original and best accolades annually recognising corporate and individual excellence in food processing at all levels”.

Widely regarded in the industry as the gold standard and the one to win, they have continuously evolved to represent its development.

Finnebrogue is the third Northern Ireland company to win the top manufacturing award after Moy Park and Comber’s Mash Direct.

The Downpatrick manufacturer has four factories - among the most modern in food processing - in the area and now employs almost 1,500 people, supplying foods to all the main supermarkets and food service operators across the UK and Ireland.

The company is now a widely respected producer of premium sausages, venison, bacon, ham, wagyu beef and plant-based foods. It works closely with top retailers such as Marks and Spencer and Waitrose on creating and processing innovative foods.

It is guided by the mantra “to make food the best it can possibly be without being bound by the way it’s always been done”. The company continues it is driven by “restless innovation and a determination to make some of the most delicious, nutritious and sustainable food in the world”.

Finnebrogue, furthermore, takes pride in “delivering world-beating, high quality products”.

Founded in 1985 by Denis Lynn as Lynn’s Country Foods, selling pizzas and pies out of a little white van, he soon discovered a new French fry and became the largest customer of Lord Chips in Europe, using the money raised to buy the beautiful 700-acre Finnebrogue estate, near the town, in 1991.

He subsequently moved into rearing and producing venison on the estate for M&S and other retailers. His commitment to healthier eating led him to remove lactic acid from venison. He diversified into premium sausages for top retailers, removing preservatives from the products and to flexitarian foods before pioneering the nitrite-free bacon and ham, vegan and plant-based products.

Denis spent more than 30 years leading Finnebrogue’s extraordinary growth and its strategic focus on healthier eating. He remains its inspiration and was the founder and driving force in Foundation Earth, an initiative that encourages companies to support the environment.

Foundation Earth brings together leading experts to tackle the climate impact of food through eco labelling. It is an independent, non-profit organisation issuing front-of-pack environmental scores on food products, helping businesses build a more resilient and environmentally sustainable food system while giving consumers the tools they need to make sustainable buying choices.

In five years from 2015 Denis grew the business’s turnover to nearly £150 million and built one of the best teams in the food industry, which is now pressing ahead with realising his vision.

In 2018, the Institute of Directors named Denis the UK’s most innovative business leader. He was subsequently named UK Entrepreneur of the Year 2020 by the influential Grocer magazine, the UK food and grocery industry’s leading publication.

He gained the recognition from a panel of industry leaders in the influential Grocer Gold Awards. It was the first and only time, thus far, the prestigious award had been won by a Northern Ireland business leader.