'A wonderful development': Three Northern Ireland food and drink firms shortlisted for major UK entrepreneur awards
Producers of non-alcoholic ginger wine, BBQ sauces and Thai noodles are among the Northern Ireland businesses recognised in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2026
A Northern Ireland maker of non-alcoholic ginger wine, a BBQ specialist and a manufacturer of Asian noodles are shortlisted in the Great British Entrepreneur Awards (GBEA) 2026, the most prestigious event for UK entrepreneurs.
Significantly, all those local companies shortlisted in the UK awards are based outside the greater Belfast region. Shortlisted for major awards are Emily McCorkell of Lo and Slo BBQ Sauces in Londonderry, Thana Thammavongsa of Whoosh Authentic Thai Noodles in Coleraine and husband and wife team Andrew and Nicky Jackson of Jackson Roze, a producer of non-alcoholic ginger wine from Tandragee.
Originally from Philadelphia, Emily describes the shortlisting as “an immensely encouraging endorsement of her longstanding focus on BBQ techniques of grilling foods for health and greater taste.”
Thana’s background in South East Asia underpins her outstanding success in Thai and other Asian foods such as noodles that are now available in Great Britain at Sainsbury’s stores in particular.
“The shortlisting is a wonderful development that will help to increase awareness of our handcrafted products especially among retailers in Britain,” says Thana.
Nicky Jackson of Jackson Roze, an established producer of ginger wine and other traditional drinks also sees the listing as an opportunity to grow sales in the key British market.
Founded in 2012, the Great British Entrepreneur Awards, which are sponsored by Allica Bank in Britain, is a widely respected celebration of UK entrepreneurship. Over 5,000 applications were received this year, and many past winners have gone on to become household names. The awards sit at the heart of the ideas Community, an ecosystem of more than 100,000 ambitious entrepreneurs.
The awards are based on the conviction that growth comes not only from the creation of new firms but also from helping existing firms invest, modernise, recruit, export, and innovate.
A recent report by Oxford Economics for GBEA sponsor Allica Bank was a timely reminder that the foundations of the UK economy rest on a much broader and more established group of firms of all sizes and including many smaller and entrepreneurial enterprises.