A DONEGAL family-owned food business has scooped a prestigious international award.
Green Pastures Donegal 25% Sour Cream won at Great Taste’s Golden Fork Awards, the world’s largest and most trusted panel of food experts, celebrating the very best in food and drink from around the world.
It was chosen as the single best product from Ireland, earning high praise from leading food industry experts for its exceptional texture, flavour and versatility.
Adding to its Golden Fork triumph, Green Pastures also achieved outstanding success across its wider range, with 15 products earning Great Taste Stars* in 2026 – showcasing the remarkable quality of its products across the board.
Green Pastures is a family-owned creamery based in Convoy, in Donegal’s Laggan Valley, one of Ireland’s most traditional dairy farming regions with a longstanding heritage rooted in generations of local dairy farming and cheesemaking. Founder and former veterinarian John Molloy started the venture as a farm dairy in Sligo in 1983 before bringing production to Donegal in 1988. Today, Green Pastures remains a family business and supplies leading retailers including Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi and Marks and Spencer.
The Golden Fork win is a significant recognition for the creamery and its commitment to producing high-quality dairy products using a simple, honest approach with a special focus on supporting traceability from farm to creamery.
Founder of Green Pastures, John Molloy said: “All credit to our farmers, our cheesemakers and our team back home – we have generations of farmers and cheesemakers in this area. It’s a simple, honest product with no other ingredients.”
Host, renowned food broadcaster and writer, Nigel Barden, replied: “It’s nothing simple, it’s very tasty”.
The Great Taste panel of Judges were in agreement. Nicola Waller, Buying Director at Ocado, enthused: “Great product. Really mild sour cream flavour” and added, “the texture was exceptional, with a really delicious mouthfeel.”
Food writer, author and chef, Ixta Belfrage was equally impressed by the versatility of Green Pastures 25% Sour Cream, noting its perfect viscosity, “The texture was velvety smooth and it has an unctuousness… I could see it being used in a chipotle with spices running through it, in tacos, or melting through a borscht or broth.”
Estelle Alley, UK Market Specialist, Bord Bia (Irish Food Board) congratulated Green Pastures Donegal on its remarkable achievement: “Bord Bia warmly congratulates all the Irish food and drink producers recognised at the Great Taste Awards 2026. Their success reflects the exceptional quality, craftsmanship and dedication found across Ireland’s food and drink industry.
“Special congratulations go to Green Pastures Donegal on winning the Golden Fork from Ireland for its 25% Sour Cream. Securing this prestigious accolade for the second consecutive year is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the team’s unwavering commitment to outstanding quality and taste. The award further strengthens the company’s reputation for producing outstanding Irish dairy.”
This year’s Great Taste competition saw 15,038 entries from across 116 countries, judged by a panel of over 800 food and drink experts across 105 days of blind tasting. Only two per cent of products are awarded three stars, and of these, just 33 products are selected as Golden Fork nominees. Great Taste’s highest accolades are incredibly competitive and hard to win.
Winning this highly coveted accolade is a testament to the exceptional quality of Green Pastures 25% Sour Cream, reflecting the richness of Donegal’s wild flower and hay meadows and the care, craftsmanship and commitment to quality that go into every Green Pastures dairy product.