TS Foods capture top family business prize

One of Northern Ireland’s leading chilled and frozen food producers, TS Foods, has won a top prize at this year’s Business Eye Family Business Awards.

The Castlewellan-based company scooped the first place award in the Food and Drink Family Business category, which sought to recognise family-owned businesses at the forefront of the sector.

Evidence of exporting and the innovation of new product lines were also evaluated as part of the rigorous judging process.

Company founders Tony and Ann Steele, their daughter Joanne Molloy, managing director of TS Foods, and son David Steele, director of operations, attended the gala awards ceremony at the Culloden Hotel, along with some key members of the team.

Speaking about their win, Joanne said: “We are so immensely proud to win this award, especially when the competition within the category was so high.

“We took over the running of our business from our parents and they are as thrilled with this award as we are.

“It has been a challenging few years and as such it’s heartening to see the resilience of family owned businesses being recognised at such a high level.”

David added: “We take great pride in being a family owned and run business since our parents founded the company in 1978.

“We have always been committed to ensuring we embrace the changes required to grow and stay relevant, whilst also maintaining our family values in how we engage and work with our staff, customers and the wider community.”

TS Foods is one of Northern Ireland’s leading chilled and frozen food producers.

Set up by Tony and Ann Steele in 1978, it has been family owned and run ever since and the award-winning company is now in its second generation of family management.

Still operating at their original premises in Castlewellan, County Down, the company employs over 100 people across the business, providing customers in Northern Ireland, the Irish Republic and Great Britain with iconic brands, including TS Foods Stuffings, Tony’s Chippy, Ann’s Kitchen and their newest offering, TS Foods Chicken.

In addition to its own branded retail products, TS Foods has a dedicated and highly experienced new product team which works to develop and produce sought after products for customers to their exacting standards.

In addition, TS Foods also supplies the food service industry with an enviable range of value added enrobed and hot-deli style products.