​ Celebrating the outstanding women in NI food and drink

A series of ‘Female Friday’ interviews with women in the industry is appearing on FoodNI’s social media platforms and has already featured Emily McCorkell of Lo & Slow BBQ Sauces in Londonderry; Geri Martin of Chocolate Manor in Castlerock; Jo Davidson of Belfast Artisan Distillery; Ceri Swain, Boryana Grigovava and Michelle De La Cruz of James St South Restaurant Group in Belfast; Dr Alison Calvert, Queen's University Belfast; and Selina Hortis of White Horse Hotel, Londonderry.

FoodNI chief Michele Shirlow explains: “'Female Friday aims to enhance the reputation of food and drink by highlighting the incredible women within our single most important manufacturing industry and the wider hospitality sector.

“The idea of a ‘Female Friday’ was put forward by Tess Osborne of Tesco and we were delighted with the response to the idea. Simultaneously Emily McCorkell of Lo & Slo floated the idea of doing something on social media. So we decided to develop the focus. So, every fortnight we release a short interview video highlighting the motivations of individuals working in food and drink here.

“We have already spotlighted many women within the industry, including chefs, producers, educators and hospitality professionals. They’ve been frank about their experiences, what inspired them to work in the industry and how their perspective as a woman has influenced their journey. We hope their experiences will influence others seeking careers in the industry,” adds Michele.

The FoodNI chief says the initiative has shown that there’s a wealth of talent to showcase. “Women are involved at all levels and in every category of company of the food and drink and hospitality sectors. We have many outstanding female entrepreneurs behind hugely successful companies including artisan, smaller enterprises and much larger export businesses. It is interesting to understand their motivations, which are mainly about making positive change,” she continues.