Kells pastry brand goes nationwide as part of SuperValu initiative

Kells handmade pastry brand 'Roll It Pastry' has been chosen as one of five producers to go nationwide by SuperValu’s Taste of Local Initiative.

The SuperValu programme provides support network and industry know-how to aid local producers’ success.

Kells-based Roll It Pastry has been selected alongside four other small Irish producers for national distribution in over 150 SuperValu stores from today, as part of its innovative Taste of Local initiative.

The news comes following Roll It Pastry’s participation in Food Academy, a unique food business development programme between SuperValu, Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Offices. The programme provides invaluable guidance to producers on branding and marketing, food safety and other essential business knowledge and is exclusively for Irish producers.

Roll it Pastry are also celebrating after winning big at Ireland’s biggest food awards, Blas na hÉireann last week. They won two prestigious Chef's Larder awards as well as the best in county award.

Roll It Pastry is a frozen pastry brand offering all-butter, ready to roll handmade pastry for baking tarts, pies, biscuits and more. Their all-butter puff pastry was chosen as their Hero product .

Founder of Roll It Pastry, Mairéad Finnegan from Kells said of her Food Academy experience: “I am honoured to be chosen as a Guest Star. Receiving this kind of recognition for my product is truly amazing, and I am so excited at the prospect of expanding to even more SuperValu stores, as not every small business gets this opportunity, so I am very grateful to the Food Academy team.

“I have always enjoyed baking at home, and family and friends made such frequent requests for my pastry that I realised there is a market for handcrafted pastry products using only natural Irish ingredients. To ensure a homemade taste, my pastry product is made with Irish butter, which is renowned as the best in the world. I joined Food Academy in 2014 shortly after setting up Roll It Pastry, and my business has gone from strength to strength since then.

“As someone with no professional experience in the food industry, the Food Academy team provided excellent support and training for me in all aspects of food business. Apart from the practical side, I was drawn to Food Academy as SuperValu is known for maintaining great relationships with small producers and local communities in Ireland. This personal feel was certainly reflected in the trust and belief I have always received from the Food Academy team, and I'm very proud to have taken home the best in County award and two Prestigious Chef’s Larder Award and at the 2022 Blás na hÉireann Awards.”

Commenting on the nationwide launch of the five Guest Stars’ products, Carmel Biggane, Food Academy Manager, SuperValu, said: “Supporting local Irish producers is at the heart of Supervalu’s ethos, and we are really proud of our five Guest Stars’ products chosen for nationwide distribution.

“Our Food Academy programme aims to provide the greatest support possible to producers, and the Taste of Local Guest Star initiative demonstrates our dedication to looking after sustainable, local Irish businesses. Each of the five Guest Stars are passionate about creating high-quality, Irish-made produce, and we at SuperValu are thrilled to be a part of their stories of growth and success.”

This year’s five Taste of Local Guest Star Hero Products are available at over 150 SuperValu stores nationwide from October 12th until November 2nd .