Haggis Sales Soar as Countries Compete In Burns Supper Record
NEWS RELEASE
Sales of Scottish haggis have soared as countries across the world are competing to host the largest number of Burns Suppers using a dedicated site created as part of Homecoming Scotland 2009.
MacSween and Ken Stahly’s are just some of the haggis companies who have seen sales increase in the lead up to 2009 which marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.
Ken Stahly from Stahly Quality Foods said: “We are seeing record sales of our Burns supper pack, particularly in Canada and hope that the 250th anniversary of Robert Burns next year will mean a bumper year for us.”
Jo Macsween said: ‘Haggis sales are always at their peak in January and we are anticipating 2009 as being the best year yet as Burns and Haggis are synonymous to many. This said, UK sales have increased all year as haggis is used as a versatile ingredient, for everything from lasagne to pies.
"Haggis offers a great option for any celebration, not just Burns night, but the 1400 or so Burns Night organisers who are already part of the Homecoming celebrations had better put their orders in quick!”
Food Secretary Richard Lochhead added:
“Haggis is a truly iconic Scottish dish and today’s figures are particularly pleasing in the run-up to what could be the biggest ever Burns night.
“Homecoming 2009 will be an opportunity to showcase quality Scottish food and drink to a wider audience and I would encourage Scotland’s producers to take advantage of the occasion.”
Homecoming Scotland in partnership with The Famous Grouse, have created The World Famous Burns Supper Celebration which aims to create a world record in joining as many Burns Suppers as possible to celebrate Scotland’s international icon.
Organisations and individuals are being encouraged to share their ideas to celebrate this unique Burns night by registering on www.burnssupper2009.com People are being challenged to break a world record such as that of Chris Dunlop, a Scottish mountaineer, who held the highest ever Burns Supper on top of Mount Aconcagua in Argentina last year. This year Chris plans to again have the highest supper but this time on home turf at the top of Ben Nevis, in tribute to the bard and Scotland’s Year of Homecoming.
England is currently leading the party on the new website with more than 655 Burns suppers planned throughout the country, closely followed by Scotland who are munching through 401. Out 
of just over 1400 suppers registered so far, the United States will address 133 haggis, Canada could be reciting the Immortal Memory 57 times and France will be toasting the bard at eleven events, all identified on the site’s global, interactive map. Kazakhstan and Vietnam have still to spread the word but also join in the global Burns celebration.
Some of the more unusual Burns supper plans in 2009 include a supper on the highest structure in the CN Tower, Toronto, the most chilled out supper hosted by a Clan Chief on Balmoral Beach in Australia and possibly the most remote being in the Eastern part of Bolivia held by the Scientific Exploration Society. The scariest Burns supper will be in Edinburgh Dungeon and there are plenty of records still to be broken.
Burns Night is already celebrated throughout the world. The works of Burns are taught in Russian schools and Russia claims to have more Burns clubs than Scotland. Ljubljana in Slovenia also toasts Scotland’s bard with their literary counterpart, Prešeren at the Society of Slovenian Scottish Friendship’s annual Burns Preseren Supper, not to mention the Bhatti family in Sialkot, Pakistan who cherish the Burns Supper tradition and have made bagpipes for four generations.
Shirley Bell of The World Burns Federation said: “The Robert Burns World Federation is delighted that people from all walks of life and all corners of the globe are able to participate in the many splendid Homecoming events taking place during 2009.”
“As we raise a glass to toast the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns at Suppers throughout the world let us all remember of the Poet’s dream of a universal brotherhood aptly penned in his own words that “Man to man the world o’er shall brithers be for a’ that”.
-ENDS-
For more information on where to find a haggis supplier log onto
http://eatscotland.visitscotland.com/burns/produce/default.html
For more press information or interview with Jo MacSween please contact:
Sharon Makepeace
Homecoming Scotland Launch PR Manager
Tel: 07771 981 236
Notes to editors:
About Homecoming Scotland 2009 (www.homecomingscotland2009.com)
• Homecoming Scotland is a Scottish Government initiative managed by EventScotland, the national events agency, in partnership with VisitScotland, the country's national tourism agency.
• Robert Burns is the inspiration for Homecoming Scotland as 2009 is the 250th anniversary of the birth of Scotland’s national poet.
• As well as Robert Burns, Homecoming Scotland events are also celebrating some of the other great contributions Scotland has given the world – golf, whisky, great Scottish minds and innovations, and as the ancestral home to millions of people around the world.
• Homecoming Scotland will engage Scots at home as well as motivate people of Scottish descent and those who simply love Scotland, to take part in an inspirational celebration of our culture, heritage and some of the many great contributions Scotland has given to the world.
About The Famous Grouse (www.thefamousgrouse.com)
• The Famous Grouse is the no. 1 whisky in Scotland and no. 5 blended whisky worldwide.
• The Famous Grouse is exported to over 100 countries.
• Created in 1896 by founder Matthew Gloag, it was originally called The Grouse Brand. The brand became so popular that on August 12th 1905 it was renamed
The Famous Grouse.
• The Famous Grouse Experience is located at Scotland’s oldest working distillery – Glenturret. Originally established as a single malt distillery in 1775, today
The Famous Grouse Experience is the most visited distillery in Scotland. (www.thefamousgrouse.com/experience).