The Armagh Bramley apple’s Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, one of only three products from Northern Ireland, was secured in 2012
Talking to the Independent newspaper in July, Bramley apples growers said that PGI status has significantly boosted demand for the apples, both domestically and abroad.
This recognition ensures that only Bramley apples grown, picked, and packed within the Armagh area can be sold under that name, akin to Champagne.
According to The Irish Food Writers Guild, Armagh Bramley Apples grown in Northern Ireland’s ‘Orchard County’ are extra special and are part of a very small number of Irish products to have gained the European Commission for PGI status, the other two in Northern Ireland are Lough Neagh Eels and Comber Early Potatoes.
The Armagh Bramley apple arrived in the area in 1884 from England.
Apples, whose orchards in the county are still family owned and operated, are harvested by hand between early September and late October. Armagh’s damp climate is particularly suited to the production of cooking apples.
Greg MacNeice, a fifth-generation apple grower and founder of Mac Ivors Cider, told the publication that PGI status has boosted demand.
“If it’s not grown in Armagh, it’s not a true Armagh Bramley. That means consumers are guaranteed something authentic – fruit with a unique taste and texture you can’t find anywhere else. It’s also boosted demand – both at home and abroad – for a product that is trusted, traceable and rooted in place,” he said.
“It’s one of only three products in Northern Ireland with PGI status and one of just a few across the island of Ireland. That’s something we’re incredibly proud of as a region,” added MacNeice.
