Dougie’s Goodies breaks into hospitality, serving scratch-baked treats across six Northern Ireland hotels — celebrating local flavour and coffee catch-ups
Already supplying to over 80 retail outlets across Northern Ireland, the partnership is a significant development for Dougie’s Goodies, marking its entry into the food service/hospitality market
A Ballymena-based bakery which has been baking sweet treats and celebratory cakes since 1983 has broken new ground, winning its first food service contract with McKeever Hotels.
Dougie’s Goodies will be supplying its range of traybakes, pastries and iced buns, to McKeever’s six hotels in Northern Ireland, marking an important development for both businesses.
Already supplying to over 80 retail outlets across Northern Ireland, the partnership is a significant development for Dougie’s Goodies, marking its entry into the food service/hospitality market.
It also highlights the McKeever family’s focus on local sourcing and wider commitment to supporting businesses which operate in close proximity to its hotels.
Totally ‘scratch baked’ the cakes, pastries and traybakes will primarily cater to the growing demand for ‘coffee catch-ups’ with customers increasingly using McKeever’s hotels as a day-time venue to meet friends, or for informal business meetings in the lobby or bar areas.
Stella Grant, group procurement manager for McKeever Hotels explains how a venture that started on a pilot basis in the Adair Arms Hotel in Ballymena has grown to become a Group-wide initiative: “It’s well known that Northern Ireland consumers love their sweet treats and it’s clear that the team at Dougie’s Goodies totally understands this market and is successfully catering to meet demand.
“While our hotels are renowned for conferences, weddings, and award ceremonies, they’re also popular as relaxed coffee-shop settings for catch-ups with friends and family or informal business meetings.
"Such occasions are only complete with a delicious locally made tray-bake. The range provided by Dougie’s Goodies not only complements this experience but reflects our ‘best of local’ approach. We’re proud to partner with such a progressive local business and look forward to rolling this initiative out across our six hotels in Northern Ireland.”
Johnny Hunter, commercial director of Dougie’s Goodies added: “We’re really excited to launch our first venture into the food service world with McKeever Hotels. Working with Stella and her team has been a joy as like us, they truly get what their customers love.
"Together we’ve come up with a range that’s all about great coffee, delicious goodies and that warm, welcoming vibe that makes people want to come back for more.”