Eighteen Irish food and drink companies will this week join a new Bord Bia and Compass Group Ireland programme that seeks to help small and medium-sized Irish companies get their product ranges listed in the foodservice market. The inaugural Bord Bia/Compass Group Ireland 'Food Heroes' Programme is aimed at providing participants with tailored support and guidance to assist them secure, grow and maintain business with Compass Group Ireland at home and overseas. Companies benefitting from the programme range from sugar free chocolate and ice-cream, to protein enriched yogurts, plus gluten free mini-cakes, seed mixes, GM free corn tortillas and award winning sushi.
This is the first time that Bord Bia has partnered with a foodservice industry operator in order to deliver a comprehensive and practical programme including workshops and mentoring. Compass Group Ireland, Ireland's leading food and support services company, works with many well-known sites including the Aviva Stadium.
The total out-of-home or foodservice market in Ireland was valued at €6.13 billion in 2014. Of this, workplace catering accounts for an annual consumer spend of almost €300 million (Bord Bia's Irish Foodservice Channel Insights Report, 2014).
Speaking at the launch, Aidan Cotter, Chief Executive, Bord Bia said, "The main objective of this programme is to equip these participants with the necessary skills required to grow with Compass Group Ireland, be that locally, nationally or internationally. As is evidenced in our recent report, the out of home food and drink market is delivering better than predicted with growth forecasted to reach almost €6.5 billion by end 2017. In particular, Bord Bia has identified significant opportunities for companies providing high quality, healthy, innovative grab-and-go snacks."
Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director, Compass Group Ireland, commented "Compass Group Ireland is proud to partner with Bord Bia to support the development of local businesses. We are delighted that through this programme, Irish companies will have the opportunity to use Compass' scale to grow their business and learn from our in-depth foodservice experience and consumer insight. We have been operating in the Irish market since 1987 and today employ a workforce of over 4,000 across more than 250 contracts nationwide."
Programme Overview
The eight-month long workshop based programme, coordinated by Bord Bia, will incorporate Local, National and Export levels to support companies at varying stages in their development. The participants at each stage include:
- Export – Fusco Foods; Malone Foods; M&D Bakery; Paganini; Rosie&Jim; The Penny Loaf Company
- National – Blanco Nino; Honest Gluten Free Bakery; Newgrange Gold, Seery's Bakery, Tipperary Cheese; Valeo Foods
- Local – Clonakilty Chocolate; Good4U; Le Patissier; nobó; Nusli; Sushi King
In addition, participants will receive bespoke mentoring and access to relevant Compass Group Ireland personnel and route to market partners in order to gain an understanding of the organisation's processes and procedures. Clear objectives and targets are set for each company to help them achieve key opportunities identified for their business with Compass Group Ireland.
Pictured at the launch in the Aviva were Robert Bullock, Le Patissier, handmade traditional desserts, Fiacra Nagle, Managing Director, Compass Group Ireland, Aidan Cotter, CEO, Bord Bia and Rosie McLoughlin, Rosie & Jim, supplying breaded chicken products.