This week Bord Bia hosted Food Academy: Taste of Local as their first partner programme at its new Global Hub on Pembroke Road. Bord Bia’s new office facilities have been specifically designed to showcase Ireland’s agri-food sector both at home and internationally - a sector that exported €13.5 billion worth of food and drink last year – the equivalent of exporting almost €37 million worth of food and drink every day to customers in more than 180 countries worldwide.
The Bord Bia Global Hub will provide the food, drink and horticulture industry with a specialist event space and global digital hub to promote Irish sustainably-produced products to clients and their customers around the world.
Following the expiration of its lease at Clanwilliam Court, Lower Mount Street, Dublin 2 in December 2021, where Bord BIa has been located since its establishment in 1994, Bord Bia has relocated its headquarters to 140 Pembroke Road, Ballsbridge. This relocation was necessitated by a planned redevelopment of the Dublin 2 premises by the landlord, which prevented Bord Bia in renewing its lease for the Lower Mount Street location. Bord Bia has secured a 20-year lease on the full property at 140 Pembroke Road. The Pembroke Road building was chosen with the assistance of a property advisor as the most suitable option in terms of competitive market-rate size, lease terms, and access to public transport links.
Pictured on launch day of the SuperValu Food Academy: Taste of Local Initiative is, L-R: Oisin Geoghegan, Head of Enterprise, Fingal, Local Enterprise Office (LEO), Carmel Biggane Food Academy Manager at SuperValu, and Tara McCarthy, CEO Bord Bia
Naoise Culhane Photography
Speaking at Bord Bia’s new headquarters today, CEO Tara McCarthy commented: “I was delighted that Bord Bia could welcome Food Academy:Taste of Local as our first partner programme to visit Bord Bia’s Global Hub on Pembroke Road this week. Bord Bia is proud to be in partnership with SuperValu and the Local Enterprise Offices to deliver the Food Academy:Taste of Local initiative which enables small businesses to navigate through their initial growth phase. Our specialist event space has been specifically designed to showcase Ireland’s innovative agri-food industry at home and internationally as well as to promote Irish sustainably-produced products to customers around the globe. We believe that in a demanding trading environment, growing companies’ skills and capabilities in consumer understanding, branding and business development provides them with a strong foundation. We wish the 33 graduates from this year’s programme continued growth and success.
“The facilities in the Bord Bia Global Hub have been designed to be a crucial resource for our clients, customers, partners and stakeholders (domestic and international) and will serve as a specialist events space for the industry, where Bord Bia and its stakeholders will host seminars, workshops and events throughout the year. Inviting Irish food and drink companies to avail of the events space in the modern, digitally equipped Global Hub to contribute to projecting Food Brand Ireland to international audiences. We see our new headquarters as a valued and vital investment in Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture industry, enabling us to accelerate our mission to bring Ireland's outstanding food, drink and horticulture to the world, thus enabling growth and sustainability of producers.”