The Brand Story

The Denny name and its association with meat go back a long way together. Henry Denny started trading as a provisions merchant in Waterford in 1820 when he entered a partnership with a long-established general merchant. By the early 1830s his own business had taken hold. He directed almost all his products towards the growing British market using the ‘star’ brand.

In 1880 Henry’s youngest son Edward set up Edward Denny & Co. in London and began expanding internationally – between 1885 and 1900 it had operations in Germany, Denmark and America. Denny’s technological capabilities and marketing expertise helped develop the Danish bacon industry during this time. By the time he died in 1905 Edward Denny was one of the most powerful men in the international meat industry. A defining moment in the brand’s history arrived in 1933 at an International Food Fair in Manchester. Denny was awarded a gold medal for making the finest sausages, which is now in the Waterford Museum of Treasures. This accolade gave birth to the Denny Gold Medal brand. This medal is a link to one of Ireland’s first multinational companies. Kerry Foods bought out the Irish operation in 1982.

Denny is the No. 1 brand in Ireland in sausages, rashers, cooked meats and sausage rolls. Denny’s extended portfolio also includes shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, frankfurters and pastry pies.

New varieties of old favourites, premiumisation and packaging innovation through Peel n’ Seal technology have all contributed to the success of Denny. Product development and packaging innovation through functionality have always been paramount to the Denny brand and have been key to driving the growth of the pre-packed cooked meats category particularly in the past 20 years. Waifos were introduced to the market in 1994 and the Peel n’ Seal pack arrived a year later.

Denny has driven the evolution of the pre-packed cooked meats category, which is now valued at €199m. Denny Carved really shows how far the category has come, with its description ‘Carved off the bone, then thickly sliced for the authentic taste of home’. Our carved ham is cured with salt, demerara sugar, vegetable extract (contains celery), white grape extract and meat starter culture. This 100% natural ingredients cure is an innovation in sliced meats and a first in the sliced meats category in Ireland.

Denny’s advertising has varied in style over the years. The most recent documentary-style TV ads are a great reminder that Denny products are in nearly every Irish fridge and it's a brand that we have all grown up with and are comfortable with – it’s part of home, wherever that may be. The ads capture the diversity of Denny’s appeal from students in Galway tucking into a late breakfast, to the McSorley family enjoying their Sunday morning fry, to the ICA ladies having afternoon tea and the family and friends in Portstewart enjoying a summer BBQ. The TV ad for Denny Carved focuses on Denny’s expertise in ham: “Carved from the bone then thickly sliced”.

In 2004, Denny celebrated its mention in Ulysses in the year of the Bloomsday Centenary by running an award-winning Bloomsday ad campaign. The ads featured caricature pencil drawings of James Joyce with the tagline ‘Proud to be in Ulysses, proud to be on your table’.

A lot of people remember the ‘Ding Dong Denny’ jingle from the late 60s and 70s. Rolf Harris famously featured in 12 different ads from 1989 to 1994, which used the slogan ‘Denny you’ve got taste’. And our `Denny Made to Disappear' campaign that run from 1997 to 2003 asked `Would you sell your Granny for a Denny Sausage'? It appears the guy from that campaign definitely would, would you?