Donegal’s famous Football Special is set to launch on the shelves of Lidl stores all over Ireland this year.
The legendary soft drinks, made by the McDaid family in Ramelton, will be enjoyed by shoppers everywhere from September.
Football Special has been a Donegal delicacy since the 1940s.
Now, it’s getting a Kickstart’ from Lidl after winning a place on the retailer’s coveted Kickstart Supplier Development Programme.
The Corveen Glen Meat Company from Letterkenny is also among the 48 artisan producers selected as the cream of the crop after an intensive Dragon’s Den style pitch process.
48 Irish suppliers selected by Lidl for this year’s Kickstart supplier development programme which will showcase 112 new products instore this September. Picture Andres Poveda
Successful producers will now see their artisan offerings on sale on Lidl shelves across its 220 stores across the island of Ireland from September 19th for a limited time, while stocks last. This includes Sweetcure Maple Dry Cured Back Bacon from the Corveen Glen Meat Company and Football special drinks.
Since the 1940s, McDaids, the family behind Football Special, has been developing soft drinks to go with any occasion. The soft drinks are made from their original recipes from the 1940s and 1950s, come in a recyclable glass bottle and contain no artificial sweeteners.
Now run by Seamus McDaid, this fourth-generation family soft drinks business blends nostalgia, flavour, and colour with Donegal’s free spirit to create a legendary Donegal brand. Over the years, Seamus McDaid and his team have worked closely with the Local Enterprise Office in Donegal.
Since its launch in 2016, Lidl has invested €30 million in supporting over 250 Irish businesses through the Kickstart programme.
