ALDI Ireland agrees €1.2m partnership deal with Arigna Fuels
The two-year deal will see Arigna Fuels' Harvest Flame, a low-emission, renewable heating product made from organic plant-based materials, available in all 164 ALDI stores nationwide from Thursday, August 21.
Based in Arigna in Co Roscommon, Arigna Fuels currently employs 45 staff, and produces sustainable, quality fuels.
Made in Ireland, their "Harvest Flame" product is made from 100% renewable raw materials and is designed for use in stoves, open fires, and outdoor fire pits.
It is manufactured from olive stones which are a by-product in the production of olive oil. The olive fruit is harvested annually and trees are not required to be felled.
The company recently made a significant investment in building Europe's largest biochar production facility in Roscommon to support the creation of this new product.
ALDI said today's deal marks a significant milestone in its commitment to supporting Irish suppliers and offering customers sustainable, high-quality alternatives to traditional fuels.
Over the past year, the product has been available as a Specialbuy at ALDI, and through this new contract ALDI and Arigna Fuels will deepen their partnership, reflecting a shared vision for a greener, more energy-efficient future.
Barry Kirwan, Buying Director at ALDI Ireland, said the retailer was excited to partner with Arigna through this €1.2m initiative, which reflects its ongoing dedication to sustainability and supporting local Irish suppliers.
"At ALDI, we are committed to making sustainability affordable for our customers, so shoppers can feel confident they are making responsible, sustainable choices when they shop with us," he said.
Conor Layden, Commercial Director of Arigna Group, said the company was delighted to announce its partnership with ALDI to bring Harvest Flame to households across the country.
"This partnership represents a strategic advancement in our commercial expansion and reinforces our commitment to delivering renewable, low-emission heating solutions," he said.
"Harvest Flame is engineered for efficiency and sustainability, offering a reliable alternative to traditional solid fuels while supporting Ireland's transition to a low-carbon economy," he added.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
13 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Tourism Ireland takes a punt on college football fans
Tourism Ireland plans to use this weekend's American Football game in Dublin to encourage more US visitors to the island. The Aer Lingus College Football Classic takes place in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday – with Kansas State University's 'Wildcats' taking on Iowa State University's 'Wildcats'. A Grant Thornton report estimated the game will generate €130m for the Irish economy. That will be boosted by the more than 24,000 people that are expected to travel to Ireland for the game – the majority of them coming from the US. "They are very valuable visitors… what we know from the college football is, once our US visitors, cross the Atlantic, they will usually stay for seven days and travel around," said Alice Mansergh, CEO of Tourism Ireland. "So you've got businesses right around the regions seeing the benefits." However the game is also being seen as an opportunity for Ireland to showcase itself to potential future visitors. It is due to air live on ESPN in the US, with an expected TV audience of 4.5 million people. Tourism Ireland has partnered with the sports broadcaster to showcase Ireland during that broadcast – with video segments about the country and on-screen prompts for people to plan a visit. "There's an incrementality or a new audience that you're winning," Ms Mansergh said. "If you've got Kansas and Ohio visiting, those are visitors that might not have come otherwise… so it's very significant in introducing us to new audiences." Earlier this month the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation said there were worries that the country had become over-reliant on US visitors – and called for Budget 2026 to include measures to diversity the market. Ms Mansergh said US visitors are important to Ireland – not least because they stay for longer and spend more money. However she agreed it was important for the country to attract visitors from as many locations as possible. "Tourism Ireland is active in 14 markets around the world – we've got partnerships all over the world," she said. "If you take last year, for example, yes we saw growth from the US – but we also saw double-digit growth from places like Canada, as well as from Northern Europe – places like the Nordics and Netherlands. "We want to keep a healthy mix going and that's always our focus." Data from the Central Statistics Office has shown that the number of inbound visitors to Ireland has been down every month of the year so far, up to and including the important month of June. Ms Mansergh said that still represents millions of visitors coming to the country – but she also highlighted the challenging global context for that fall off. "That is a softening compared to 2024 – and it actually puts our visitor numbers and revenue more in line with the performance we saw in 2023," she said. "We had the Dublin Airport cap limiting numbers in the first three months of the year – that's now on hold under legal review – there's also been a lot of the change in the macroeconomic environment and that impacts confidence. "When we survey visitors overseas, two-thirds say they value their international travel but 41% say they will take fewer or shorter trips this year because of the cost of living – and 25% are saying things are too uncertain for them to book travel right now. "So that's the environment in which Ireland must win hearts, minds and trips for the future."
Irish Independent
15 minutes ago
- Irish Independent
Simon Harris welcomes clarity on EU-US trade deal and pharma tariffs set at 15pc
Mr Martin said it was a 'significant win' for the EU and highlighted the arrangements for the pharmaceutical and aviation sectors. The statement said that as of September 1, the US will apply a maximum tariff rate of 15pc on 'generic pharmaceuticals and their ingredients and chemical precursors'. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Simon Harris welcomed the clarity the statement offered on the EU-US trade agreement announced on July 27. 'We welcome clarity that the deal includes a single, all-inclusive 15pc tariff on EU goods,' Mr Harris said. 'We also now have assurance that this rate will extend to pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. 'This provides an important shield to Irish exporters that could have been subject to much larger tariffs pending the outcomes of Section 232 US investigations into these sectors.' There is also a 'zero-for-zero' tariff rate carve outs for aircraft and aircraft parts, with further carve outs to be determined for certain products in generic pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Mr Harris said this offered a 'first step' to a more 'comprehensive and formal agreement with the US in the future'. 'Our intention now is to see what other carve outs can be made in areas of interest for Irish exporters,' he said. Mr Martin said the statement brought 'greater clarity and certainty' to what the agreement between the EU and the US will mean in practice. 'This is especially important for enterprises that either import from or export to the US,' he said. 'Given the scale of the pharmaceutical and semiconductor sectors in Ireland, it is important that the Joint Statement confirms that 15pc is a ceiling that will apply to EU exports in these areas in all circumstances, including when the current US Section 232 investigations are concluded. 'While I have been clear all along that I do not support tariffs, this is a significant win for the EU. 'Given the significance of the airline sector to Ireland, a specific carve-out for aircraft and aircraft parts is also welcome. 'There are areas where further work remains to be done, including a potential carve-out for med-tech products and spirits. 'I hope this will be advanced as quickly as possible. We will continue to advocate for these sectors given their significant importance to our domestic economy.'
Irish Examiner
44 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Employment in construction sector increases by nearly 30,000 in the past year
The number of people working in construction has surged 18.4% over the past year as the tech-dominated information and communication sector saw a decline in headcount, new data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) shows. According to the latest labour force survey for the period April to June this year, the total number of people aged between 15 and 89 who are employed in the State increased by 63,900 to close to 2.82 million in the 12 months to the end of June. The employment rate for people aged between 15 and 64 ticked up slightly between April and June to 74.7%, compared to the 74.4% recorded during the same period last year. During the quarter, there were 140,800 people unemployed aged between 15 and 75, with an associated unemployment rate of 4.8%, up from 4.6% seen during the same period last year. Youth unemployment, which is considered for those aged 15 to 24, stood at 13.2% in the second quarter, up from 12% year-on-year. The total number of unemployed people in this age group was 49,500. There were 31,800 people who were unemployed for 12 months or longer, an increase of 4,900. There are an estimated 582,000 people working part-time, with 153,600 of those classified as under-employed — people who would like to work more hours for more pay. The estimated total labour force stood at close to 2.96 million between April and June, up 2.5% year-on-year. The CSO said the economic sector, which saw the largest increase in employment, was construction, which rose by 29,600 people, or 18.4%, over the past year. The sector with the next highest increase was human health and social work activities, which increased by 14,500, or 3.9%. The largest fall in employment was in the information and communication sector, which includes the major tech companies, down by 7,700, or 4.1%. This fall was driven by a decrease of 16,400 people employed in computer programming, consultancy, and related activities. On average, the total combined number of hours worked during a week in the quarter increased by 1.6 million hours to 88.9 million hours. However, the increase in working hours varied across different sectors. The construction sector saw an additional one million hours worked when compared to the same period in 2024. The largest sectoral decreases in hours worked were in the accommodation and food service activities, and the information and communication sectors, which were each down 300,000 hours over the course of the last year. Chief economist at tax and consulting firm RSM UK and RSM Ireland Thomas Pugh said while the labour market remained strong during the second quarter, 'there is now a clear risk' US tariffs on the EU 'will derail that strong growth picture'. 'Indeed, the pervasive uncertainty and damage to global growth from tariffs will be a drag on Irish domestic growth over the rest of the year, which will slow employment growth,' he said.
