IRELAND’S iconic Ballymaloe Relish has been given a makeover as the firm behind the popular condiment seeks to appeal to the modern-day consumer.
Ballymaloe Foods was founded in 1990 by Yasmin Hyde, the daughter of celebrated Irish chef Myrtle Allen.
In the 1930s Allen opened her Ballymaloe House home in Cork up to the public, inviting diners to sample her daily recipes in her Yeats Room of an evening.
The celebrity chef, who passed away in 2018 aged 94, developed the Ballymaloe Relish recipe from the tomatoes her husband Ivan Allen was growing in his glasshouses on the grounds of their Shanagarry home, which is now an award-winning hotel and restaurant.
Using her mother’s recipe, Hyde began producing Ballymaloe Relish in her own kitchen, which led to her launching the Ballymaloe Foods business more than 30 years ago.
The company now produces a wide variety of award-winning foods, including relishes, pasta sauces, beetroot and everyday condiments all made in Little Island, county Cork.
And Ballymaloe Foods remains a family-run business, with Yasmin’s three children and her daughter-in-law among its many employees.
Sisters Maxine and Rosaleen Hyde of Ballymaloe Foods, pictured at Ballymaloe House, to celebrate the rebrand of the company’s iconic products (PIC: Clare Keogh)This week the firm revealed a makeover across its product lines – with a new look given to its iconic Ballymore Relish as well as its mayonnaise, Irish beetroot and other relaunched products.
The company worked with top Irish illustrators, as well as branding consultancy True Story, for the rebranding project, they confirmed this week, and is now rolling out the new designs to shelves nationwide and internationally.
“The much-loved condiment, along with the full range of Ballymaloe Foods products including its Mayo, Irish Beetroot and Pasta Sauces, has been given a makeover, while still maintaining the unmistakable, iconic image of Ballymaloe House as its logo,” Ballymaloe Foods confirmed.
“The drawing of the house that features on each label was done by Dublin-based illustrator Ron Wilson,” they explained, “and the fruit and vegetable images were created by Galway native Claire Coogan.
“The labels on all the jars have the Myrtle leaf and Myrtle Berry as a background - a nod to the Myrtle Tree that was planted when Myrtle Allen was born and still stands tall today at the entrance to Ballymaloe House.”
Maxine Hyde, General Manager of Ballymaloe Foods, says the rebranding of the products has given them a fresh look that still holds true to the Ballymaloe legacy.
“My grandmother, the late Myrtle Allen, was all about local produce and sustainability and in many ways, she was ahead of her time,” she said.
“I know she’d be delighted with our rebranded products, particularly because we worked with Irish branding consultancy True Story, as well as Irish illustrators to create the new packaging.
“We were careful to create a look for our products that appeals to the contemporary consumer while still paying homage to the origins of Ballymaloe Foods, a company that my mother Yasmin worked so hard to grow and develop.”
