Athenry’s sweet taste of success!

A Galway family business that rose from the ashes of a disastrous fire that threatened to wipe out their future has once again shown the scale of its renaissance, sweeping the boards at this year’s Great Taste Awards.

The Foods of Athenry’s range of gluten-free soda bread toasts were all awarded stars in the 2016 Great Taste Awards, bringing the company to over 50 taste accolades for its all-natural and additive-free products.

Its Cumin and Multiseed Gourmet Sodabread Toasts was awarded three stars; its Multiseed Gourmet Sodabread Toasts was given two stars, and there was a star each for its Cranberry and Hazelnut Gourmet Sodabread Toasts, Honeyed Almond and Rosemary Gourmet Soda bread Toasts, and Very Fruity Mince Pies.

Owned by the Lawless familiy and based in Athenry, the company has been at the forefront of gluten-free products in Ireland in the past decade – but it nearly ended in tragedy when a fire broke out in the bakery just over five years ago, in June 2011…a fire that couldn’t be extinguished for 24 hours.

With the launch of the new gluten free range imminent, the place was full of new equipment and new packaging – but the Lawlesses picked themselves up and somehow re-emerged bigger and better than ever.

“We’ve come a long way in the last five years since the fire that burnt us out,” said Siobhan Lawless.

“More than 50 taste awards later I feel so blessed to have our products continually acknowledged as being some of the best in the world. And this year to be awarded the ultimate honour of a 3* Great Taste Award for a gluten-free product is a huge thumbs up for ourselves and the gluten-free community,” she added.

They now boast multiple celebrity fans including Ellie Goulding, John Cleese and Roz Purcell, all hooked on the gluten free food that does not skimp on taste.

The Great Taste Awards, first established in 1994, are considered one of the highest honours for food products internationally, and are decided by a panel of industry judges in a blind taste test.

These awards followed fast on the heels of the company’s record seven wins at Ireland’s very first Free From Food Awards announced in May of this year.