Supermarket deal is sweetest sauce for local food producer

Supermarket deal is sweetest sauce for local food producer


Local food producer Redmond Cabot will launch a line of Red’s Sauce products this Friday, November 30, in SuperValu Westport.
Word of the range of all-natural sauces spread quickly after Cabot began Red’s Sauce over a year ago and first started selling his products at Westport Country Markets. Super Valu, which has a policy of supporting high-quality local producers, has now decided to stock three sauces from the range: ‘Rockin’ Thai Red Curry’, ‘Punchy Black Olive Tapenade’ and ‘Smoky Mackerel Pâté’.
Cabot, who also writes articles on food for The Mayo News Living section, knew that launching a new business during a recession would be tough, but his hard work has paid off. “Like everything, it has been a long haul, but I am absolutely delighted to be launching three new products to the wider market,” he said.
The former proprietor of Cabot’s Source restaurant at the Demesne in Westport, Cabot believes that today’s consumer wants delicious, all-natural produce that uses fresh ingredients. “It is important to use ingredients as close as possible to their natural state, so your body can actually absorb the ingredients’ goodness. Using powdered or concentrate forms will compromise the nutritional integrity of the foodstuffs. While they may still taste good in the mouth, they will not benefit your body as a working machine.
“My ‘Rockin’ Thai Red Curry’ has real ginger shoots, lemongrass, natural red chillies and fresh garlic in it, as super defences for the winter months. It also has real as fresh lemon and lime juice, which have superb anti-bacterial qualities for your body’s defences.”
Cabot, who uses locally sourced ingredients whenever possible, uses smoked mackerel from Jerry Hassett in Achill Island for his Smoky Mackerel Pâté. He is eager to work with more and more local producers too.
“There is so much happening with food in Mayo at present. We are in a great position here to offer the very cleanest and best foods in Europe.
“It’s great to be launching in SuperValu now. I’m just following the likes of Jack and Eddie’s,  Cherry Blossom Bakery and SeΡn Casey’s Westport Grove Preserves, all of which started out in SuperValu and have gone on to achieve success.”
For Cabot, SuperValu is the perfect spot for his products, as the store has a real sense of community, he said: “It’s great to walk onto the shop floor and see people you know manning the tills and shopping in the aisles, as well as all the local produce on the shelves,” he said.
“Out of all the ‘multiples’, I am delighted to be working with SuperValu and I fully support their local purchasing power. Ultimately, every more euro that is spend locally on local produce stays within the county – and that can’t be a bad thing!”
Last month, Red’s Sauce was shortlisted for the Bobby Kerr’s nationwide Down to Business competition on Newstalk FM. He was one of just 13 food producers from around the country to make the final. A ‘speed dating’ presentation took place in Dublin, from which the winner was picked.
While Red’s Sauce did not win the overall prize, buyers from BWG, Spar’s parent company, were impressed with the quality of the product and expressed interest in any future listing.

To mark the launch of Red’s Sauces at SuperValu Westport, the store is holding  free tastings this Friday, from 11am to 5pm.