Kilkeel Organic Farm is cream of the crop.

A South Down organic farm and five-star self-catering cottages has scooped a prestigious award from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board.

Lurganconary Organic Farms, located just outside Kilkeel, won the ‘Marketing Excellence for a Small Company’ award at the prestigious 29th Tourism awards held recently in Belfast.

Following their win, Margaret O’Hare, director at Lurganconary Organic Farms, said that the accolade was reward for all her team’s hard work and effort.

“We are absolutely thrilled with our award,” she said.  “It was a great achievement to be selected as the winner in this category, considering the stiff competition and the fact that we have just been operational over a year.  It is a real boost to all our team at Lurganconary and it’s very rewarding to know that the vast time and effort that we have put into our marketing strategy has paid off.”

The judges claimed that Lurganconary outshone the competition due to their “clear outline of solid and extensive preparation plus the indication of strong brand reinforcement through quality service”.

Newry and Mourne tourism officer, Maureen Grant, said:  “I would like to congratulate the team at Lurganconary Organic Farm Cottages on winning first prize for marketing excellence for a small company.”

Newry Democrat Article – 12 June 2007