Offaly organic food grower shortlisted for prestigious national award

An Offaly organic food grower has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

Garryhinch Wood Exotic Mushrooms, from Portarlington, have been shortlisted for the Bord Bia National Organic Awards.

The Bord this week announced the full shortlist of organic food and drink producers for the National Organic Awards 2024, held in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to celebrate the achievements and high standards of the increasing number of organic growers, producers, and manufacturers in the country.

The winners of the National Organic Awards will be revealed at an awards ceremony that takes place on Thursday, October 17th in the Bord Bia Global Hub in Dublin.

Judges reviewed the shortlisted companies at the National Organic Food Fair which took place in Merrion Square in Dublin on Saturday. Judges included chef Clodagh McKenna, food writer Suzanne Campbell, chef Janine Kennedy, food consultant Annie Dunne, and retail expert John McDonagh.

The shortlisted companies were judged across seven categories including a new award for 2024, The Organic Sector Champion which will be announced alongside the other winners at the ceremony in October. Among those shortlisted for the awards is Garryhinch Wood Exotic Mushrooms from Portarlington, county Offaly.

Garryhinch Wood Exotic Mushrooms is a family run organic mushroom farm located on the banks of the river Barrow in County Offaly. With over 30 years’ experience, they cultivate their exotic mushrooms on wooden blocks made only from trees sourced from sustainably managed forests. They are shortlisted for the Best New & Innovative Irish Organic Product for their Shiitake & White Beech mushrooms.

Commenting on the selection of short-listed producers, Emmet Doyle, Organic Sector Manager in Bord Bia, said: "The National Organic Awards is an opportunity to shine a light on the quality of Ireland’s thriving organic sector and highlight some of the producers who continue to drive the sector from strength to strength. From speaking to our esteemed judges, the calibre of entries was excellent this year, which is reflected in the companies shortlisted . We would like to extend our congratulations to them, and thank all who entered this year."

Winners of the National Organic Awards 2024 will get a one-to-one session with Bord Bia’s Client Capability team, who will help develop a bespoke package of supports to meet individual company needs up to the value of €5,000.