Two Waterford-based companies, Dawn Meats and Greenvolt, have secured top honours at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland’s sixth annual ‘1st Choice Supplier Summit’. Held earlier this month at the RDS in Dublin, the prestigious event celebrated the very best of the retailer’s local suppliers and their quality produce.

Dawn Meats took home the coveted ‘Outstanding Quality’ award for their remarkable reliability and consistency in quality food production. Through their day-to-day commitment to maintaining the highest possible standards, Dawn Meats works hand-in-hand with Lidl to guarantee customers always pick up the very best products in-store. This shared dedication to excellence was globally recognised this year when Lidl and Dawn Meats were jointly awarded ‘World’s Best Steak’ at the World Steak Challenge.

Meanwhile, Waterford-based solar energy company Greenvolt was awarded the ‘Sustainable Innovation Award’ for delivering Lidl Ireland’s first-ever Net Zero Energy store in Maynooth. The flagship project represents a technically advanced approach to low-carbon retail, seamlessly integrating rooftop solar PV, solar carports, and battery storage into a single, coordinated energy system. Across the wider network, Greenvolt’s scalable model has delivered over 20 megawatts of installed solar capacity, generating millions of kilowatt-hours of clean electricity and avoiding an estimated 10,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.

Kevin Duffy, Chief Commercial Officer at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland added: “As the fastest-growing retailer in Ireland and Northern Ireland, our ambitious plans are only possible through meaningful collaboration with resilient, agile partners like Dawn Meats and Greenvolt. This year, we reached an incredible milestone of €2 billion in local sourcing, and by working alongside suppliers who share our commitment to excellence and to engineer a more sustainable future, we can continue to champion ‘World’s Best’ quality produce and a more sustainable shopping experience.”

Lidl’s 1st Choice Supplier Summit allowed suppliers and partners to discuss long-term strategy, performance, and sustainable growth in the context of increasing industry pressures, upskilling its supplier network to innovate and support future growth

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