Business

Broighter Gold set to shine in Dubai

Leona Kane celebrates the latest chapter in her artisan journey which will see Broighter Gold rapeseed oil stocked in a chain of supermarkets across Dubai. Photo: Kevin McAuley
Leona Kane celebrates the latest chapter in her artisan journey which will see Broighter Gold rapeseed oil stocked in a chain of supermarkets across Dubai. Photo: Kevin McAuley Leona Kane celebrates the latest chapter in her artisan journey which will see Broighter Gold rapeseed oil stocked in a chain of supermarkets across Dubai. Photo: Kevin McAuley

THE north's multi-award-winning producer of oils cold-pressed from a family farm in Co Derry are to be stocked on supermarket shelves in the United Arab Emirates from this week.

Broighter Gold rapeseed oil, produced on the extensive Kane family farm near Limavady, will be available at the Al Maya chain in Dubai, a city characterised by luxury and opulence but a world away from the rolling fields in the shadow of Binevenagh where the cooking oil originates.

The opportunity to extend the reach of Broighter Gold into the Middle East came about through an Invest NI organised inward buyer mission which took place just last month, and the speed of the transaction took Leona Kane by surprise.

"We had an initial meeting with the buyers here at the house and they were impressed with the farm and how we were doing things so then we were invited to a second meeting in Belfast. I had 15 minutes to sell to them. I never got a word in and I didn't feel very positive at this stage.

"Then the next thing I knew the director, who had flown in especially for the meeting, said 'yes, we'll take a pallet, how soon can you get it out to us?' It's on sale right now.

"It's just so surreal. It feels brilliant, and now I'm looking forward to seeing it on the shelves," she said.

It's a hugely significant development for the family business which could signal the start of a growing presence in the Middle East market.

The Al Maya group has more than 70 outlets and acts as a distributor to other retailers in the UAE and Oman.

Broighter's golden oils, which have won UK Great Taste and Blas na hEireann awards, are widely used by leading chefs in Northern Ireland and the Republic, and high profile customers include La Grande Epicerie in Paris, Brown Thomas in Dublin and Sainsbury’s.

Mrs Kane established the rapeseed business in 2010 as a farm diversification project. It’s now among the most successful farm-based businesses on the island of Ireland.