Gozo’s agricultural and farming heritage was recognized and honoured last week in London, during the launch and presentation of quality products destined for the British market.
Red Lion Foods already has a range of food products available in leading UK supermarkets, and now they have appointed Magro Brothers of Gozo to produce their ketchup under the brand name Red Lion – a popular, mainstream product that is consumed by millions of British consumers.
This prestigious launch took place in the armory of the Tower of London, one of London’s most famous landmarks. Present for the occasion was Mr John Magro, Managing Director, and Mr Christian Magro, General Manager, of Magro Brothers (Foods) Ltd.
Red Lion Foods embraces a noble business philosophy, that of donating all profits from sales to charity, with special emphasis to individuals and families of ex-servicemen who have served their country during wars or in combat. Several representatives from institutions with military linkages, such as the British Legion and the Poppy Legion, were present for the event, and owners and senior directors of major supermarket chains, such as Tesco, Coop and Sainsbury, pledged their commitment to ardently promote sales for this honorable project.
Mr Andrew Gidden, managing director of Red Lion Foods, stated that his choice of Malta and Magro Brothers did not come about by chance. Malta’s history and linkages with the British Empire during the pre and post Second World War era still has its own sentimental values. Stories and events that took place on our tiny island still hold special meanings to many British citizens, thus Malta made perfect sense for Red Lion’s new ketchup.
As for the selection of the manufacturer, hundreds of different ketchup bottles were tried and tested. According to Mr Gidden, the Magro product is undoubtedly the best one can find in Europe. The sun ripened, hand picked tomatoes found in Magro Brothers’ ketchup makes the Red Lion product remarkably better tasting than existent leading brands.
After various visits to Gozo and tasting of the product, Mr Gidden strongly believes that Red Lion Foods have made the best decision in their choice of ketchup and that this is just the beginning of a long and fruitful relationship with Magro Brothers.
Thanking Mr Gidden for his confidence in Malta and praise for his ketchup, Mr Magro admitted that this new venture is of utmost importance to his company. For over 70 years, Magro Brothers has always had strong mutual business relationships, for their products, with the English market. Red Lion’s approval is further proof of how appreciated local products are in foreign markets.
Penetrating foreign markets with a competitive product is not only beneficial to the company but also to Malta and Gozo in general as it guarantees work in the agricultural sector, continued John Magro. During the past years, with the liberalisation of European markets, Magro Brothers not only overcame the extreme challenges of competition but also managed to penetrate and export their products. The merit due is to the dedication and hard-work of every Maltese and Gozitan workers who are committed to success and excellence in each stage of the process; from planting the tomato seeds until processing and exporting the product. With this backing and the company’s vision, Magro Brothers have invested heavily in their plant and is today a centre of excellence in Europe, gaining top certification for the food processing industry.