Two businesses from Kilkenny shortlisted for Good Food Ireland awards

Two businesses from Kilkenny have made the 2024 shortlist across multiple categories in the Good Food Ireland national awards.

The winners are due to be revealed at a high-profile dinner taking place on Monday, November 11 at The K Club. O'Shea Farms in South Kilkenny has been nominated across three different categories (see below).

The Good Food Ireland Awards 2024 in association with FBD Insurance celebrate businesses at every layer of our island’s food and drink industry. From primary producers, manufacturers, and chefs, to shops, hotels, tourism experiences, and restaurants, those businesses who make the shortlist are regarded by the judges as embodying all that makes Ireland’s food offering so standout. 

The core emphasis of the awards is the consumer experience of local, fresh, seasonal, Irish ingredients. Good Food Ireland® highlights tourism-hospitality and retail businesses that prioritise local produce and encourages others. This in turn supports Irish farmers, food producers and fishermen, sustainably strengthening local economies and communities. 

An independent collection of Irish and international leaders with in-depth knowledge of the hospitality industry makes up this year’s judging panel who shortlisted the nominees from those businesses approved by Good Food Ireland®, subject to meeting strict criteria through onsite inspection.  

They include: Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland Margaret Jeffares, former Good Food Ireland Operations Director Susan Kerr, Journalist John Wilson, Hospitality consultant Tom O’Connell, Lecturer in the School of Hospitality Management & Tourism at TU Dublin Dr Detta Melia, Executive Chairman and Owner of Odyssey International Kevin Shannon, and previous Chef and Hotelier Maurice Keller.  The expert panel will select the overall winner following mystery inspections and assessments in the weeks preceding the prize giving dinner in November. 

Featuring across four different categories, the Kilkenny businesses who made the shortlist are: 

Sustainability Award - O'Shea Farms

Fruit & Veg Producer of the Year - O'Shea Farms

Dairy Producer of the Year - O'Shea Farms

Food Innovator of the Year- The O’Neill Family, Mountain View

Margaret Jeffares, Founder and Managing Director of Good Food Ireland says: "We’re delighted to be back with another Good Food Ireland Awards and, as part of the judging panel I have to admit that each year we do this, it gets harder due to the high calibre of entries and increasing commitment to prioritising local Irish produce. It is important that those businesses communicate this shared philosophy to inform customers and attract new visitors seeking an authentic, cultural Irish food or drink experience. Seeing all these businesses collaborate and work together across sectors to help build our island’s reputation for spectacular food and drink overseas in order to create inclusive economic growth is truly fantastic. 

“All of those businesses who have made it onto 2024’s shortlist are a genuine inspiration. Proud and passionate ambassadors of Ireland who strive to capture the very essence of the authenticity and provenance that makes our food and drink so uniquely ours. All the judges would like to extend our congratulations to them and wish everyone the best of luck for the November 11." 

See the full shortlist of finalists for the Good Food Ireland® Awards 2024 in association with FBD Insurance below. For full details on the individual awards, tickets to the event, and general information about Good Food Ireland  visit goodfoodireland.ie.