As St Patrick’s Day approaches and the spotlight focuses on all things Irish, Bord Bia is preparing to bring Irish food and drink to an international audience with a series of planned promotional activities. From Paris to Shanghai, through its network of international offices, Bord Bia has scheduled a number of events for consumers, retailers, trade and foodservice operators to highlight the range, quality and supply capability of Irish food and drink.
The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mr. Brendan Smith T.D. will travel to Italy to attend a number of trade events in Rome, Milan and Bologna. Included in the itinerary are visits to the premises of purchasers of Irish live cattle as well as a number of meetings with Italian multiples, including Coop Italia, the largest retail chain in Italy and the markets single biggest buyer of Irish beef.
The itinerary includes a visit to an Italian feedlot supplied with Irish cattle and a meeting with Coop Italia, the largest retail chain in Italy and the market’s single biggest buyer of Irish beef. For the first nine months of 2009, Irish food and drink exports to Italy were valued at €244 million, with total exports valued at €362 million in 2008.
In the UK market, Bord Bia is capitalizing on the goodwill and profile Ireland enjoys at this time with an extensive national PR programme to promote Irish beef and speciality foods. The UK continued to be Ireland’s principal export destination in 2009 with sales valued at just under €3.1 billion, accounting for 44 percent of Ireland’s food and drink exports.
On St. Patricks Day, the Minister for Justice, Dermot Ahern T.D., will attend a Bord Bia trade lunch in Brasserie Flo Restaurant in Paris. Supported by Bord Bia, 27 of the Brasserie Flo restaurants, are currently running promotions of Irish beef, lamb, oysters, crab, smoked salmon, farmhouse cheese, Guinness, Baileys and Irish whiskey.
To reach in excess of 4.5 million French consumers, Bord Bia is also running a number of high profile online campaigns and competitions. Irish food blogger Donal Skehan, is working with the agency, to promote quality assured Irish meat products on prominent French culinary websites. The various online competitions and promotions will be promoted in retailer magazines, ezines and newsletters with a combined circulation reach of almost one million French households.
In conjunction with Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia will host a media and trade event on March 17th in the famous Parisian monument, Tour Montpasnasse. The Irish food buffet including seafood, meat, farmhouse cheeses and Irish drinks will be the focal point of the evening for the 300 guests expected to attend. After the UK, France is Ireland’s second most important export market with annual exports valued at almost €360 million for the first nine months of 2009.
In Amsterdam, Bord Bia and the Irish Ambassador to the Netherlands, Mrs. Mary Whelan, will host an Irish drinks tasting session for trade buyers and contacts on Tuesday March 16th. The tastings will include some of Ireland’s world renowned beers, whiskeys and cream liqueurs. A business networking event will follow that evening in La Rive Restaurant, a member of Bord Bia’s Chefs Irish Beef Club. The exclusive Club was established in 2004 and includes 16 top chefs from the Netherlands who all promote and use Irish beef on their menus.
In conjunction with Tourism Ireland, Bord Bia will host an “Irish Lunch” in Portugal on March on Friday March 12th and in Madrid on Wednesday March 17th. Attendees include key business, trade and media contacts from the individual markets.
For the first time, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Moscow, taking place on Saturday March 20th, will include two Irish floats – from Kerrygold and Jameson. Bord Bia is also organising a trade reception and promotion of Irish food and drinks for Russian retail chains, industry contacts and local food journalists.
On St. Patricks night, Bord Bia Shanghai will host an Irish drinks evening for over 50 key media contacts. Guests will participate in sampling sessions with Irish drink companies including Baileys, Guinness, Jameson, Murphys and Irish Mist. China represents Ireland’s most important export market within Asia, accounting for 26 percent (€80 million) of all Irish food and drinks exports to the region in 2008.
Ireland’s Largest Indigenous Industry
The agriculture and food industry plays an important role in the Irish economy and remains its largest indigenous sector accounting for almost 9 percent of employment and 10 percent of exports. As much as 65 percent of manufacturing exports by Irish-owned firms are estimated to consist of food and drink.