The ‘Project Exemplar’ award recognises exceptionally high levels of innovation and collaboration between a firm, their graduate and an academic as part of the InterTradeIreland FUSION programme. Gallagher’s Bakery supplies bread products and specialty lines, including gluten-free products to commercial customers across Ireland and further afield, with customers in Northern Ireland, GB, Europe, America, Canada and Australia.
The FUSION project involved Gallagher’s partnering with Loughry’s CAFRE College in Cookstown with the support of InterTradeIreland graduate, Annette Ferguson, for the 18 month duration of the project, which was completed in June 2015. The aim of the project was to reduce the waste associated with the gluten-free baking process by gaining a better understanding of the chemistry involved and the interactions between the ingredients.
Sorcha Sweeney, from Gallagher’s Bakery, commented: “We are delighted that our innovation has been recognised and are proud to accept our Exemplar award. Our project has been both interesting and challenging at the same time. We are delighted that involvement in this InterTradeIreland project allowed us to reduce the waste incurred in our gluten-free baking process by almost a quarter of a million Euros. This has increased the profitability of our business and we look forward to expanding this element of our business.”
Alan Morrow, from InterTradeIreland, added: “Being selected for this award signifies that the FUSION project has been a great success for all parties. In this case the company has dramatically reduced waste and increased profitability, the academic institute had a unique opportunity to become involved in a commercial project in the food science arena while the graduate has gained valuable experience and has had a major impact on the project. Congratulations to all of the team on its hard work and innovation throughout this project.”
For further information on the FUSION programme please visit, www.intertradeireland.com/fusion.
