Leitrim bakery gets ‘kickstart’ from Lidl Ireland  

A bakery in Leitrim was selected as the cream of the crop by Lidl Ireland.

Following a competitive Dragon’s Den style pitch process to find this year’s most innovative products, 48 suppliers across 20 different counties including Jinny’s Bakery from Drumshanbo were selected as the cream of the crop after an intensive application process which saw producers put through their paces with a business pitch to Lidl’s buying team and a taste test to select the best in category.

Lidl Ireland is set to give a ‘Kickstart’ to a new batch of 48 Irish producers from across the country who successfully earned a place on the retailer’s coveted Kickstart Supplier Development Programme – an initiative that the retailer has invested more than €30 million in supporting over 250 Irish producers to date.

Jinny’s Bakery was established in late 2003 as a small bread making family-owned business, founded by Sinead Gillard leveraging her childhood nickname, Jinny. The business has gone from strength to strength now producing a range of convenient bread and scone mixes that are wholly natural, high in fibres and contain no artificial ingredients.

Successful producers will now see their artisan offerings on sale on Lidl shelves across its 220 stores across the island of Ireland from September 19 for a limited time, while stocks last. This includes Jinny’s Bakery’s Irish Stout Bread Mix and Sophie's Scone Mix, both of which will be available in Lidl stores nationwide.

Before the products hit the shelves, this six-month development programme offers suppliers dedicated business support from Lidl’s in-house experts, advancing their product, brand and business with practical guidance on how to scale production, drive production efficiency, as well as product development and packaging support, allowing them to optimise on-shelf opportunities in the Autumn and scale for success.

Now in its eighth year, and supported by Bord Bia, this year’s programme saw a record number of applicants from every province in Ireland.

Kate O’Driscoll, Supplier Development Manager at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland said: “Lidl’s Kickstart Supplier Development programme allows us to support Irish producers building their businesses while providing our customers with a great range of new and innovative Irish products. Since 2016, Lidl has invested more than €30 million in growing and supporting small local producers – an investment which has seen huge success over the years, with several Kickstart products getting fully listed and now being part of Lidl’s everyday product range. Other products have benefited from the expansive international store network, reaching the shores of the UK, Europe and even the USA over the eight years of the programme.”